The Russell Academy will design workshops for organisations and businesses tailored for their specific needs. We have delivered Presentation Skills and Public Speaking seminars for many companies and individuals. We are currently rolling out our new course for teachers Creativity in the Classroom. This is a 2 day (Saturday) course.
Regular workshops delivered by guest tutors have always been a feature of the Diploma Course. These workshops are offered to current and past students of the Academy. In the past we have been delighted to welcome many guests including Professor Anthony Roche of University College Dublin whose enthusiastic and fascinating talk on Contemporary Irish Drama was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We were delighted too to recently meet the award winning designer Maree Kearns who shared her insight into the world of set and costume design for theatre and film.
We have also been able to offer regular workshops in mime and movement with Sue Mythen and Oonagh McLaughlin, two stimulating experts in their field. These sessions were energetic and enjoyable and worth all the aching muscles afterwards!
We were also thrilled to have playwright and actor Shadaan Felfeli deliver a workshop on devising plays for young people. Shadaan, a graduate of the Gaiety School of Acting’s full time programme, has an MA in Drama and Performance Studies from UCD and a Performer’s Certificate from Trinity College London. He has worked as a writer, deviser and performer in Irish Theatre with companies like Fibín Teo, Gúna Nua, Dublin Dance Festival and Listowel Writers’ Week. He delivered an invigorating session packed full of helpful and practical ideas.
The in-depth investigation of the work of William Shakespeare is an important part of our course. Each year we hold workshops that focus specifically on the study and performance of the plays and the exploration of his poetry.
These workshops are delivered by Ann Russell and they are informed by her work as an actor and director. Here we encourage the performance of Shakespeare as it is through the performance of his work that his skill as a dramatist becomes evident. The plays offer endless possibilities with their variety of distinct characters. No other author offers such a diverse depiction of human nature. It is always great fun to investigate these characters and discover how the playing makes the meaning become clear.
