Acting: Exploring Tennessee Williams
Short Courses – 10 Week – Online for Adults
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Overview
Booking has now closed. Please email shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk to enquire about late sign ups.
This class will be taught online and you can take part from the comfort of your own home.
This intensive ten-week course for people aged 16+ aims to develop acting, movement, and voice skills required to creatively engage with Tennessee Williams’ emotionally rich and poetic text.
Throughout the course, you will deepen your understanding of Williams’ work through an in-depth exploration of A Streetcar Named Desire, using both established and innovative techniques. You will also prepare a monologue or scene from the play, applying new insights in a practical setting.
This course is ideal for students seeking a professional training experience or considering acting as a career. It is also suitable for experienced professional and amateur actors eager to refresh their skills and explore new ways of approaching modern classic American drama.
Throughout the course, you will:
- Develop skills in textual analysis, focusing on the emotional nuance and subtext central to Williams’ writing.
- Explore poetic realism, understanding how Williams’ use of language and symbolism creates heightened yet deeply human performances.
- Learn techniques to enhance character development and storytelling, through the analysis of a range of monologues and scene work from A Streetcar Named Desire and other Williams plays.
- Gain insights into Williams’ dramatic style, exploring how his themes and characters can inspire contemporary productions.
- Refine vocal and physical techniques, learning how to embody the text and bring to life the complex emotional landscapes of Williams’ characters.
- Investigate Williams’ influences, including how his personal history and the cultural context of his plays inform their themes and performances.
This course provides an exciting opportunity to engage with one of the most significant playwrights of the 20th century and bring his works to life.
Courses you may be interested in
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
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Contact us
If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk.
The important details
Age:
16+
Cost:
£195
Date:
16 April - 18 June 2025
Time:
Wednesdays, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Venue:
Online
Course Information
- Entry Requirements
- Course Preparation
- Who is this course for?
- Teaching Staff
- Term Dates and Tuition Fees
There are no entry requirements for this course.
The course is designed so that motivated students will benefit from the training. We expect you to undertake a certain amount of self-directed study and preparation out with class times.
Students should be open, honest, generous, respectful, hard-working and willing to work as part of a team.
Further Information
We want to ensure as many children, young people and adult learners as possible can access the performing and production arts education that is offered through Short Courses at RCS. Financial support options available for Short Courses include:
Agnes Allan Bursary
Agnes Allan was a teacher, passionate about inclusion, and this bursary scheme exists to offer support to students to participate in the performing or production arts.
The Agnes Allan Bursary provides some support to students who may require financial assistance to take part in a short course in dance, drama, music, production or screen.
Anyone who wishes to take part in our Short Courses and faces a financial barrier can apply for bursary support to help meet the cost of tuition fees.
James McAvoy Drama Scholarships
BAFTA-winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy is committed to nurturing the creative potential of young Scots who experience barriers to access and participate in drama at RCS Short Courses.
James is a graduate of the BA Acting programme at RCS and Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Drama. The Glasgow-born actor has funded the new James McAvoy Drama Scholarships to enable young people to experience the world-class drama training at RCS as he did.
The scholarship aims to support applicants who would otherwise find meeting the cost of tuition fees at RCS a barrier to accessing pre-Higher Education drama training at the Royal Conservatoire.
You can find more information about these funds on our Financial Support page.
