The University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts & Dance Hosts Royal Shakespeare Company in Three-day Residency
(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL, MN) The University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts & Dance is delighted to welcome world-renowned artists from Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to the Twin Cities for a three-day residency. The event will take place from April 9-11, 2025 at Rarig Center, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
The Royal Shakespeare Company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, is recognized globally for its innovative and diverse approaches to the Shakespearean legacy and contemporary plays. Their world-class training programs serve more than half a million young people and adults, and support partnerships with academic institutions across the United Kingdom and the world. The RSC’s mission is “to ensure that Shakespeare is for everyone, unlocking the power of his plays and live performance.”
This three-day residency will consist of workshops, panels, and opportunities to see the RSC's inspiring pedagogy in action. It will provide invaluable insight into the artistic processes at the core of the company's many groundbreaking productions. The events are open to theater makers, actors, educators, and audiences from the University of Minnesota and the Twin Cities theatre community. The residency is supported by The Image Fund Special Events Grant.
About the Department: Housed in a public research university located in a vibrant metropolitan area, the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts & Dance is a collaborative hub for education, research and training in the diverse field of Dance and Theatre. The BFA Actor Training program is a holistic liberal arts education paired with rigorous professional actor training. The program provides a foundation in the discipline of Acting that inspires students to begin enduring journeys of learning and artistic expression.
RSC Teaching Artists:
Aaron Parsons is a theatre director and movement director. He has a Masters in directing from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and trained with SITI Company. He was previously Associate Director at Prime Theatre. Work for the RSC: Directing: The Tempest, Falkland Sound, Tales From Shakespeare Associate/Assitant: Richard III, Henry VI: Rebellion, Henry VI: Wars of the Roses, The Winter’s Tale, Cooked Dances Other Work: Directing: Boudica (Bristol School of Acting) Blood Wedding (Bristol School of Acting), A Very Expensive Poison (BOVTS) Welcome To Thebes (Bristol School of Acting), Romeo and Juliet, Pericles (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School) Julius Caesar (Reading Between the Lines), Home (Bristol School of Acting), This way up for (Travelling Light Theatre Company), Romeo and Juliet (Reading Between the Lines), Robin Hood (New Mutiny), Hillstories (Travelling Light Theatre Company and Wyldwood Arts), Butterfly (Prime Theatre & Light and Lark Theatre), The Odyssey (Prime Theatre), Walk Ashore (Thimble Theatre), The Laramie Project (Prime Theatre). Movement: Metamorphoses (CSSD),The Trials (Donmar Warehouse), Faith (Coventry City of Culture Trust and the RSC. Movement Consultant), Salad Days, Hanged for Love, Serious Money (all for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School).
Fiona Ross. With a background in contemporary dance and physical theatre with a specialism in Shakespeare, Fi works as a performer, writer and director. She has worked for many years as an actor and dancer in Europe and the UK with the RSC and Shakespeare’s Globe. Fi has led on British Council tours of Shakespeare in Europe and the Far East which has given her a deep understanding of the importance of relationships between theatre makers and the wider community. At the RSC, Fi now works as an Associate Artist and Practitioner, directing and leading on projects nationally and internationally recently directing residencies in New York, Bangkok, China, and Japan. Fi devises and creates new work. In 2020 her production of On Air toured around the Southwest UK, and in 2024 she received Arts Council funding to write and develop a new piece, Walking the Line, which is still in development. Fi also works as a movement director and choreographer, creating immersive theatre pieces which has recently included Dinner with the Macbeths in Western Massachusetts and with the National Trust in the UK. Previously Fi directed and performed with the Arts Council funded theatre company TILT, touring new writing and classical work in the UK and in Europe with a focus on unheard voices.
Public Events:
Wednesday, April 9 5:00-7:30pm - Pedagogy CPDL 1. Pedagogy Lecture/Discussion on editing Shakespeare and Modern texts for various audiences with a Teaching Artistry focus. Kilburn Theatre
Thursday, April 10 5:00-7:30pm - pedagogy CPDL 2. Pedagogy Lecture/Discussion on editing Shakespeare and Modern texts for various audiences, and social activism in Shakespeare with an academic focus. Kilburn Theater
Friday, April 11 9:00-11:00am - The Sweet Power of Music. An interactive streamed live opportunity to explore how music can be used within a dramatic context to significantly affect an audience’s response. We will consider why Shakespeare used it so much, and how it can completely change the story on stage. Kilburn Theatre
