The Acting Shakespeare Road Map
The Acting Shakespeare Road Map
A 6-step video course by Paul Hopkins
Includes the companion workbook — a step-by-step guide to the whole process, woven through with tips and anecdotes from Shakespeare productions Paul has acted in and directed.
Shakespeare's language can feel intimidating on the page — but it wasn't written to stay there. The Acting Shakespeare Road Map is a practical, step-by-step approach to unlocking Shakespearean text and bringing it to life, developed from over 25 years of acting, directing, and teaching Shakespeare professionally.
Each of the 6 lessons is short and focused — 4 to 8 minutes — designed to be watched in order and applied directly to a monologue or scene.
For Teachers: this course is well suited to high school and post-secondary drama classrooms, whether as a stand-alone unit on approaching Shakespeare or as a companion to a text you're already studying. Available for purchase — view licensing options for classrooms and schools.
What's Covered
- Paraphrase
- Act It Out!
- Imaging the Words
- Use the Poetry
- Punctuation
- Paraphrase, Round 2
About Paul Hopkins
Paul Hopkins (he/him) has been working in Canadian film, television, and theatre for over 25 years. His career spans theatres across Canada (Stratford Festival, Theatre Calgary, Centaur Theatre); numerous roles on screen (Disney's Zombies 1, 2, 3, Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City); and 8 years as the Artistic and Executive Director of Montreal's Shakespeare in the Park, Repercussion Theatre. Hopkins was a 2013 finalist for the Christopher Plummer Fellowship Award of Excellence, for his contributions to Shakespeare and the classics in performance. www.jpaulhopkins.com
Curious where this approach actually comes from? Paul traces his process directly back to Shakespeare's own acting company, by way of mentors that include a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the former head of the Drama Division at The Juilliard School. Read the full story.
Licensing Options
- Individual — $39 CAD — personal access for one learner.
- Classroom License — $100 CAD — for a single educator to use with their students, season after season.
- School-Wide License — $250 CAD — for use across multiple classrooms/departments at one school.
Purchase access directly here. After purchase, you'll receive a private access link by email with all 6 videos, the companion workbook, and the one-page Road Map.
Contact
Questions or feedback? Email: jpaulhopkins@gmail.com