THE WORKSHOP…

DAY ONE will start with some gentle warm up exercises to foster familiarity amongst all participants. What will follow will be scene break downs from each of our three selected plays - ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by T. Williams, ‘Miss Julie’ by A. Strindberg, and ‘Scenes from a Marriage’ by I. Bergman, wherein Clara will pick actors to roughly workshop a scene, scripts in hand, of course! This will give directors the chance to get to know her methodology and technique. At the end of the day, participants will be allocated into groups of three by Clara - one director and two actors. The directors are encouraged to pick one of the three plays beforehand that best suits their sensibilities and the kind of style they would like to explore in the coming days. We will do our best to accommodate everyone’s preferences and scene allocations, however, we cannot anticipate the age range or gender identities of our workshop attendees, which is why we strove to create a balanced selection of scripts with characters of different backgrounds and experiences to ensure a wide enough variety for our groups to work with. Editing or gender bending the scene is also completely fine, as we want everyone to have the best experience possible.

DAY TWO will focus on ‘staging’ the scenes - each group will have an hour/hour and a half to work on their scenes, with Clara overseeing the process every step of the way. Directors and actors alike will get to exercise their craft, gain confidence in their choices, all while learning new methods from Clara’s years of professional experience. For those who aren’t actively on the floor, they will be encouraged to engage with creative discussion and feedback.

The workshop culminates on DAY THREE with all of the groups showing their scenes to one another. The intended purpose of the ‘showing’ is not to present a polished product, but rather to exhibit the work so far. Remember, craft, not results. This will also be a great opportunity for the groups to perform in a low stakes environment amongst each other. This will be a completely private viewing, only including the workshop attendees. Can’t wait to see you there!

WHY THIS MASTERCLASS
a note from our director…

This workshop invites us to re-imagine the relationship between directors and actors as a shared creative journey rather than a hierarchy. A director is, in essence, an actor who has stepped slightly outside the circle—not to distance themselves, but to see the story from a different angle. From this vantage point, the director seeks the shape, rhythm, and deeper truth of the world we are building together.To direct is to understand the soul of the actor: the courage required to enter a story fully, to reveal one’s vulnerabilities, and to transform inner life into living action. A director must honour, support, and protect this delicate process. And actors, in turn, are invited to recognise that they carry the director’s vision within them—extensions of a shared imagination, bringing the story to life from the inside out.Theatre and film are born from trust, generosity, and collective discovery. Actors live inside the fire of the story. The director stands just outside, guiding its path. Designers and technicians craft the world in which it unfolds. And the writer occupies a unique position—both inside and outside the story at once, entering its emotional core while also maintaining the distance needed to shape its architecture. The writer must understand the creative processes of both actor and director for the story to evolve, breathe, and transform. As long as we remain truthful to the story and honour the humanity of those who witness it, our work becomes limitless. Everything we create ultimately moves toward the same place: the audience. They are not separate from us; they are our partners, our witnesses, the final home where the story lands. Their sensitivity, intelligence, and emotional openness deserve our utmost respect.This workshop is an invitation to create boldly and humbly, to listen deeply, to discover rather than dictate, and to remember that all meaningful work emerges from collaboration—artists leaning toward one another, trusting, offering, daring.-

OUR REQUEST

• Please have a read and general understanding of each of the plays

• If you have any questions for us or
  need PDF copies of the plays,
  reach out to us via
  lastwaltzproductions@gmail.com