Curtain Up for new Acting and Writing Workshops at Heart of Hawick

Budding actors or writers of any age or experience are invited to take part in one of two new workshops starting at Heart of Hawick in October.

Acting for the Stage – The Empty Space and Writing for the Stage – The Empty Page are the first in a series of performing and visual arts workshops for people who wish to try something new, develop existing interests, gain new skills, or explore future training or employment options.

The workshops are designed with wellbeing in mind, and will help participants to feel more confident, better connected and happier as a result of taking part.

Both workshops will take place in Heart of Hawick, an increasingly popular venue for touring theatre companies.

Clare Prenton is a director working in the industry, and will be running the acting classes.

“Over 8 weeks you will gain confidence and skills in voice, acting and script reading to lift text from page to stage to confidently take the space and ‘fill’ what the late, great director Peter Brook called the ‘empty space’.” She said “Whether this is completely new to you or you are brushing up existing skills, all experience ranges are welcome.”

Meanwhile local actor, writer and director Jane Houston Green will deliver writing workshops.

“We will look at ideas and inspiration and how to translate these into workable formats.” Jane says. “We will analyse the process of theatre and how a writer fits into the team and discuss characterisation and casting with the specific techniques required for producing scripts that translate well to the stage.”

Jason Moyes from Live Borders Arts & Creativity said:

“We know there are people out there who have the potential and the aspiration to write or act on the stage. We want to nurture people, help them develop skills, perhaps raise their confidence and hopefully give them a positive experience as part of their time here. We’re equally interested in working with people with some, none or lots of experience. It’s a unique experience to learn in our theatre at Heart of Hawick and have something to look forward to over winter months.”

Writing for the Stage and Acting for the Stage, two new eight week workshops at Heart of Hawick starting on Monday 24 October.

The cost to attend is £125.

Find out more, and book  here

About the tutors

Clare Prenton has worked across the UK and Europe since 1999 in theatre, musical theatre and opera as a director, writer and lyricist. She trained at the Universities of Leeds and Hull, the Royal National Theatre Studio, London and has worked for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, English Touring Opera, Alan Ayckbourn and The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, Liverpool Everyman Playhouse Theatres; Cumbernauld Theatre, Perth Theatre, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Stafford Festival Shakespeare, The British Shakespeare Company, The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival, The Traverse Theatre, Stellar Quines Theatre Company; Eastgate Theatre, Peebles; Borders Pub Theatre and Play, Pie and a Pint Theatre at Oran Mor, Glasgow. She has taught at University undergraduate/conservatoire level for Mountview Theatre School, Arts Educational Theatre Schools, Borders Youth Theatre, British Youth Music Theatre, National Youth Music Theatre, Scottish Youth Theatre and Borders Youth Theatre.

Jane Houston Green has spent decades working in theatre as an actor, director and writer both in the UK and abroad. She worked with the Maly Drama Theatre in St Petersburg, has toured in the UK with both large and small scale productions and, through performances with theatre companies in Zimbabwe, was involved with promoting both indigenous and international writers. Through her work with Treading The Borders Theatre Company she has encouraged local writers with the projects ‘Towards Flodden’ and ‘Brief Encounters’. She has had her own writing produced in the past two years both live and online which received considerable praise. She brings her experience as a performer and writer to her role as a film maker with films being included at numerous Festivals and won an award in November last year.