Exploring Shakespeare is an energetic masterclass that provides actors with tools, techniques, and context for bringing classical, heightened language to vivid life in the contemporary theatre. Looking to the traditions of Shakespeare’s time, the conventions at work in his verse, and the broad canvas of humanity in his characters, we will discover that the text itself is the actor's most reliable map to clear and compelling performance of Shakespeare’s plays. Exploring these guideposts, we can position ourselves to find our own voices in Shakespeare's words.