Intro to Classical Acting

Learn the special skills required to perform Shakespeare and other pre-1800’s dramatists well. This class will explore the unique ways voice, body, and imagination must work together to clearly articulate and bring life to complex and poetic dramatic language. Students will come away with an understanding of how to transfer these skills to their contemporary acting in multiple mediums. Material will include both monologues and two-person scenes.

Instructor: Nathan Whitmer is an actor and teaching artist and member of Actors Equity with over 15 years of professional experience. His DC area credits include Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, Theatre J and Washington Stage Guild. Outside DC he has appeared Off-Broadway in NYC, and worked with The Old Globe, The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Virginia Theatre Festival and Texas Shakespeare Festival (to name a few), as well as with The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA where as a member of both the Barter Player acting Company and resident equity acting company he appeared in over 25 plays and musicals and worked as a teaching artist and mentor. He has since returned to Barter as a director for the Players and guest teaching artist for Emory and Henry University. Nathan has appeared in numerous commercials, industrials and TV shows filmed around the DC Metro and in Richmond. As a teaching artist he’s worked with The Shakespeare Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Live Arts in Charlottesville, VA, and Alaska Theatre for Youth. A graduate of Ohio University and the Old Globe/University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Training Program, Nathan applies his classical training and diverse experience to help aspiring or curious theatre artists of all ages awaken their imaginations, communicate dynamically with their voices and bodies, and create inclusive ensembles where everyone’s story finds a space to be shared.