Acting Clues in August Wilson’s Language: Theatre Workshop with The Acting Company

An interactive textual analysis workshop for actors from on- and off-campus, led by Robert Cornelius (playing West in Two Trains Running) and other members of the The Acting Company. Free, but advanced sign up required.

Through close reading of scenes and monologues, augmented by on their feet acting exercises, participants are given a new set of tools in how Wilson’s poetry can sculpt a performance. Often described as the poet of the Black American experience, the language of his plays is both lyrical and mundane, pulling from the rhythms of everyday speech, but reaching for something more elemental. The work will examine speeches and scenes from Wilson’s texts, focusing on Two Trains Running, to demonstrate how his language guides a performer and opens up new ways to embody the lived experience of Black Americans.

Open to Middlebury students, faculty, staff, and members of the greater community. Participants will also be offered a free ticket to the production at 7:30 PM.