Hands-On Learning at the Stratford Festival

While in Stratford, students attended an audition workshop with Edward Daranyi, a director and resident teaching artist with 17 years' experience at the festival. Edward gave students pointers on how to carry themselves in an audition, and the group really enjoyed getting authentic feedback from an expert in the field.

After seeing a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet, students then sat down for a post-show chat with two cast members. The group asked thoughtful questions about actor preparation, the rehearsal process and the challenges of acting in the Festival Theatre.

Other highlights of the trip included:

• Trying on costumes during a tour of the costume warehouse
• Learning stage combat from show fight captains
• Participating in a prologue session, which helped students contextualize their understanding of the Holocaust prior to seeing The Diary of Anne Frank