Peter Hall offered a number of clues on reading Shakespeare during a workshop at the Rose Theatre.

“Acting in a Shakespearean play is like playing the bagpipes”.
You cannot run out of air whilst speaking a precisely formed line of Shakespeare, or the rhythm of the iambic pentameter (that five syllable beat in much of Shakespeare’s works) will be destroyed.   

This was amongst many clues offered by the 77-year-old founder of the Royal Shakespeare Society, Sir Peter Hall, during a completely improvised directing session with a selection of the Loves Labours Lost cast at the Rose Theatre. 

The talk, entitled 'Shakespeare’s Advice to the Players', opened for a one off show to a full house on 3 November. 

The session brought to mind a kind of Shakespeare for Dummies class with Sir Peter picking apart the actors’s rhythm and emphasis of words during rehearsed verses of Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and Hamlet.   Hence the following passage from Twelfth Night:

“I see you what you are, you are too proud;
But, if you were the devil, you are fair.”

... Becomes in Sir Peter’s words, Viola (actress Nelly Harker playing Maria in Loves Labours Lost) making the point of how most men “fancy the pants off” Olivia. For a Godfather of Shakespeare Sir Peter’s presence was so understated that when the Artistic Director of the Rose, Stephen Unwin, asked whether the audience were following, a sea of nods reassured him.  It was simply the humble nature of Sir Peter that warmed the audience, many of whom sat back shutting their eyes to the sound of the verse, because after all Shakespeare wrote to be heard.   

So... If music be the food of love play on. 
According to Sir Peter, “a good jazz player ought to know what speaking Shakespeare is” owing to its rhythm.  And that is what it felt like listening to Sally Scott (actress playing Katharine in Loves Labours Lost) read a verse from Hamlet three times, each time dramatically improving the delivery, keeping to his word that Shakespeare “is not hard”. 

Paul Comerford, 21, studying Classical Acting at Kingston College, was one of a majority of students at the session who voiced his opinion about Sir Peter’s methods.  He said: “I don’t agree with all the rules. It becomes too formulaic, but it is interesting to see the actor’s improvising”. 

Sir Peter was pleased to see such a young turn out.  He said: “The students that I have anything to do with are obsessed by [Shakespeare].  It is one of the best things that has happened to the world”. 

Loves Labours Lost is running until 15 November at The Rose Theatre
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