ABSTRACT
After leaving Cambridge University, Sir Derek received his training and experience as a member of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, as a founding member of the National Theatre, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His awards include two Oliviers, two Emmys, a Tony, and the OSC’s Oxford Prize.
This chapter consists of two of Sir Derek’s masterclasses. In the first, he discusses his years-long battle and victory over a debilitating stage fright that nearly ended his career. Sir Derek gives tips about speaking Shakespeare’s verse and prose, and shares a useful vocal trick he learned after nearly losing his voice. He talks about the differences between film and stage acting, Method acting, and the various stages of an actor’s career, in addition to giving insight into Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Cyrano de Bergerac.
In the second class, Sir Derek presents an in-depth analysis of King Lear (which is also touched on in the chapters from Glenda Jackson and Frank Langella). He talks about situation versus character, and how to help an audience understand archaic language. In Ron Cook’s chapter, more is discussed about the rehearsal process for this particular production, in which Mr Cook played the Fool.
