Movement in(to) Shakespeare

with Kat Alix-Gaudreau

MAY 29 - JUNE 5

Step into Shakespeare's world—move, create, and connect in Sicily.

Unlock the power of Shakespeare through movement in the enchanting landscapes of Sicily. Join us for "Movement in(to) Shakespeare," a transformative 7-day Creative Immersive Residency guided by Kat Alix-Gaudreau—renowned director, educator, and scholar from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Inspired by visionary practitioners like Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski, and Viola Spolin, this residency invites you to dissolve language barriers and explore Shakespeare’s timeless works through dynamic movement and self-expression. Engage in intensive workshops and movement exercises that foster creativity, build confidence, and inspire personal interpretation.

Immerse yourself in creative scene-building, share your unique vision, and gain insightful feedback, culminating in an optional community sharing. Embrace movement as your language, and leave Sicily ready to lead and inspire with a fresh perspective on Shakespeare’s work.

About the Lead Practitioner:

Kat Alix-Gaudreau holds a BA in Theater from UMASS Amherst Massachusetts; MA in Sociology from University of Georgia, Athens; MA from Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K.  Experience as a production manager in the Boston, MA film and TV production industry.  Co-founded Ghost Light Players in 2011, and has directed over 25 plays.  Was a judge for the Alternatives One-Act Festival for three years in Worcester, MA.  Internationally, she created and directed a unique retelling of The Tempest at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and co-authored and performed in Stripp’d at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Kat also collaborated with Trinacria Theatre Company in Sicily to create an original theater piece based on the Hades and Persephone myth.  Kat was a professor of theater at Bridgewater State University for three years before moving to Belfast, Maine, where she has recently founded the MidCoast Shakespeare Studio (www.midcoastshakes.com).

What We’re Looking For: 

Participants should demonstrate:

  • An interest in Shakespeare’s work, though no prior experience or formal training is required.

  • An eagerness and willingness to engage and work a little outside of one’s comfort zone.

  • A desire to deepen your relationship to Shakespeare both within and beyond the text

  • Movement: Unfortunately, due to the nature of our mountainous village, the ability to climb stairs (at your own pace) is necessary to access our living and working spaces. There are no other movement limitations for participation.

What to Expect:

Schedule: This is an intensive experience with extended working hours to help you make the most of your time in Sicily. We structure our day to follow the local custom of a larger mid-day meal and rest in the afternoon, during the hottest part of the day. Below is what a sample daily schedule may look like:

  • 8am - 9am: Breakfast on your own (self-serve)

  • 9am - 10am: Group warm-up

  • 10am - 1pm: Movement exercises and workshops

  • 1pm - 2pm: Communal lunch

  • 2pm - 4pm: Break for rest (or journaling, exploring, meditation, etc.)

  • 4pm - 7pm: Continued workshops or self-guided independent projects

  • 7pm - 7:30pm: Evening reflection and wrap-up

  • 8pm: Dinner and rest

Excursion: There will be a mid-week excursion to a nearby point of interest to help participants not only soak in the local culture, but also gain inspiration for their creative work.

Sharing: At the conclusion of this residency, there will be an opportunity to briefly share your work. This sharing may be conducted privately amongst the members of the cohort, or, if preferred, we may invite members of the local community to join. We recognize that it can sometimes be delicate to invite others into a creative process or share a work in progress, so whether your sharing remains closed or open will be decided between you, your lead facilitator, and other members of your cohort.

Everything else: For all other expectations about the location, housing, work spaces, meals, accessibility, transportation, language, technology, etc. please visit this page.

Important Details

Key Dates:

  • May 28: Departure from home, if traveling from North/Central/South America

  • May 29: Arrival in Sicily and welcome dinner

  • May 30: Full group orientation and start of workshops

  • May 31: Full day of workshops, training, and independent project work

  • June 1: Excursion day

  • June 2: Continued workshops, training, and independent project work

  • June 3: Completion of independent project work, sharing, and farewell dinner

  • June 4: Departure from Sicily

What’s Included:

  • 6 overnight stays in shared accommodation in Casa Trinacria

  • 3 meals per day (excluding excursion day)

  • All local transportation, including to/from airport and excursions

  • Intensive hands-on and guided training with an expert professional practitioner

  • Access to workspaces throughout the village

  • Guided community engagement opportunities

  • Emergency health & medical insurance* 

*Trinacria’s emergency health & medical insurance provider does not offer coverage to residents of Australia, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Gambia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Syrian Arab Republic, and U.S. Virgin Islands, or to travelers who are not leaving their home country (i.e. Italy). If any of these apply to you, you will be responsible for securing your own emergency health and medical insurance policy for your travels to Sicily.

What’s Not Included:

  • Airfare

  • Travel insurance

  • Any applicable visa or passport fees for entry

  • Sightseeing, souvenirs, and lunch during excursion day(s)

How to apply

Basic Eligibility:

  • The fee to participate is $1,500. Once accepted, there will be a $150 nonrefundable deposit to hold your place. Final payment is due no later than 1 week prior to arrival.

  • Participants must be 18 or older at the time of the program. There is no upper age limit on participation.

  • Participants must possess a valid passport (with 6+ months of validity) at the time of the program.

  • The residency will primarily be conducted in English. Good working knowledge of English is necessary for all participants.

Instructions:

In addition to filling out the form below, you must sign up for a 20-minute interview using this link. Your application will not be considered complete until you have done so.

Candidates may submit either a written or video application. For a written application, use the form below. Please note you will not be able to save your progress on this form; we recommend you save work in a Word Doc. Those who wish to submit responses via video, please upload as a private or unlisted video on YouTube and send us the link at residency@trinacriatheatre.com.

Should candidates have any questions or personal access needs for completing the application (Braille, audio captioned interview, etc.), please email info@trinacriatheatre.com. We can make large print and inverted color PDFs available by request.

We are particularly eager to hear from BIPOC applicants and others who are underrepresented in the professional arts industry. To help ensure our company is meeting our organizational goals, we ask you to also please fill out this Equality & Diversity monitoring form. Please be aware that completing the form is optional and will not affect your application. The answers to this form are anonymous and will be held separately to your application.

Deadline:

Applications will be considered and accepted on a rolling basis. A very limited number of spots are available and will fill up. Final cutoff to apply is May 1st, or once all spots have been filled.