Studying Shakespeare at LAMDA

This Summer I had the chance to study Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) in London, UK. I learned so much! What a joy to dive deep into the old language of Shakespeare. To study it in the place where the Globe Theatre stands where his plays were performed. And to be able to study at such a prestigious acting academy.

I could swap houses with a lovely couple from London. So I could live in the big city, basically for free. Such a blessing! A house at walking distance from LAMDA. So I could scoot to school every day with a little Brittish scooter.

I felt like a true local and met some amazing new people and made some new friends.

I visited as many plays I could, since you never know when you're last chance to watch a play is, during pandemic times. One of the plays I watched was "Romeo and Juliet" at the Globe Theatre and The Tempest, also from William Shakespeare.

On social media I wrote:

In the category: “Art I want to make”: Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet at the Globe Theatre in London. Played under een open sky in full daylight, with full interaction with the audience. A group of agile actors who each of them gave their all in their performances. Wow! It made me cry! What a gem of a play and what a gem of a cast. What a day in the wooden 'O' of London.

I guess studying Shakespeare definitely made me a better actress. If you can play Shakespeare, you can play anything, often directors say. And I think that's true. You learn about voice projection, how to really "deliver your lines" not just saying them, and what hidden meanings Shakespeare hid in his text. It's up to you as an actor to discover those hidden stage directions and cues. I absolutely loved that and it made my performances richer.

When I came back to The Netherlands I decided to give Shakespeare and your voice workshops in The Netherlands and Belgium. I started in Antwerp at CinAct Belgium. And it was a succes. So more workshops will follow soon! Exciting stuff!