Shakespeare in the Ruff is thrilled to welcome renowned actor and teacher Irene Poole to the Playground. In this three-day intensive, participants will explore ways of making Shakespeare’s language and poetic images personal and playable. By using a variety of techniques to find meaning, clarity of thought, and the emotional journey, participants will strive to get to that magic place where poetic image is married to situational truth.
“If you ask me to name my favourite actors, the first person on my list is Irene Poole. She is, to my mind, absolutely fearless as an artist. Every time I watch her on stage – and when I have had the incredible good fortune to share a rehearsal room with her – I learn something vital about acting and am inspired to go deeper into my own work. I am beyond thrilled that Irene is joining us at Ruff for this intensive. I promise you, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.”
– Christine Horne, Ruff Leadership
Dates: Fri Nov 11, Sat Nov 12, and Sun Nov 13
Time: 12-5pm each day
Location: Tarragon Theatre – 30 Bridgman Ave, Toronto, ON M5R 1X3 **This space has an elevator and is accessible for wheelchair and mobility device users.
Cost: We want to make this course as financially accessible as possible. We have three levels of payment. You can select the option that best reflects your current financial situation: $250 / $325 / $400
Max participants that will be accepted: 12
Irene will be choosing some texts to work with through the intensive but participants should also come in with a selected piece they would like to explore.
About Irene:
Irene has worked in theatres across Canada, including nine seasons at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Shows include Little Women, All’s Well That Ends Well, Henry VIII, Mother’s Daughter, Julius Caesar, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Little Years, Three Sisters, and The Taming of the Shrew. In Toronto, she has performed at Factory Theatre, Tarragon, Buddies in Bad Times, and Soulpepper; as well as the independent companies Birdland Theatre (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) and Canadian Rep (How Do I Love Thee). Along with roles at Stratford, favourite Shakespearean roles include; Beatrice, Lady Capulet, the Nurse, Gertrude, Celia, Titania, Lady Macbeth, Don John, and Elizabeth (Resurgence, Shakespeare by the Sea.) She is the recipient of multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Best Performance. Film work includes Frankie Drake Mysteries, Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, Killjoys, Cardinal, Salvation, Republic of Doyle, Murdoch Mysteries, and Rookie Blue. Irene has also ventured into directing, teaching, and new play development. She lives in Stratford with her husband and two children.
Accessibility: Please contact Patricia Allison at patricia@shakespeareintheruff.com with any accessibility requirements. We will do our best to accommodate however we can.
COVID-19 Policy: Out of care for our community, Shakespeare in the Ruff will have the following Covid-19 protocols in place:
- Daily health screening to be completed before entering the Tarragon.
- Daily Rapid Antigen testing for all participants (tests provided by Ruff).
- Masks will be required when not actively rehearsing/performing, eating, or drinking.
- Shakespeare in the Ruff strongly recommends being up-to-date on all vaccines and boosters.