The Society for Theatre Research is pleased to announce that the next Poel Event will take place in February 2014 in London. For the first time the event will take place over two days and, as previously, the focus will be on audible, comprehensible and believable speech in plays from the English classical repertoire.

Each day will be made up of three two hour workshops, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama has kindly agreed that the first day’s workshops can be held in its studios and on stage of the Embassy Theatre. The second day, as before, will be held at the National Theatre with the final workshop taking place on the stage of the Olivier Theatre.

The first workshop at Royal Central will combine music, movement and text. The second workshop will enable participants to work on a previously learned Shakespeare Sonnet. The final workshop of the day will provide actors with the opportunity to present a solo speech from the Embassy Theatre stage. At the close of this day the actors will be paired and presented with a duologue to be studied and learned in readiness for Day Two at the National Theatre.

Actors taking part will do so on the understanding that they will attend both days of workshops. Dates will be confirmed in the autumn once final theatre schedules have been settled.

The day at the National Theatre will begin with a physical warm-up and this will be followed by a technical voice workshop utilising text. In the second workshop actors will be able to work on the previously set and prepared scenes before performing them on the Olivier stage during the final workshop of the day.

As in previous years, the workshops will be led by leading theatre professionals and personal feedback will be given throughout both days of workshops. The workshops are FREE and open to actors who are members of Equity and have been working professionally for between two and ten years.

The workshops will appeal to actors who wish to work with classical verse and language. The workshops will provide participants with the opportunity to engage with language, narrative, characterisation, character relationships and above all to work for audible communication to their audience.

Any actors who are interested in participating and would like further information are invited to send their names to the Organiser, Michael Gaunt, at poel@str.org.uk.