The Shakespeare Gym
Who we are
The Shakespeare Gym is a place to develop strategies for acting Shakespeare. Through workshops and performances, Gym members learn to “fit the action to the word,” finding acting cues in the text to bring Shakespeare to life.
The Shakespeare Gym started as a place to get short scenes or portions of the plays on their feet to explore “fitting the action to the word”. Since then members (a combination of local Shakespeare enthusiasts, actors, Shakespeare Readers, and Crows adult family members) have become more ambitious and added full plays to their performance repertoire. Anyone interested in dipping their toes into the invigorating waters of Shakespeare are welcome to join these workshops.
Past workshops and productions include:
Summer 2017 : The Language of Twelfth Night.
Fall 2018: Scenes from King Lear and King Henry IV, Part 1. Workshop with Ben Crystal.
Fall 2019: Scenes from Hamlet and Measure for Measure at The Swan.
Summer 2020: Scenes from Othello (plus Shut-in Shakespeare videos)
Summer 2021: Twelfth Night at UU Santa Fe.
Fall 2022: Scenes from Shakespeare's Histories One day dramatic reading projects to work out with Shakespeare's language, relationship dynamics, and "small parts".
2023: King Lear (with Upstart Crows) in honor of Itai Rosen Performances in June. 2024: The Comedy of Errors (performs May 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12
August 28 - Rhetoric - scenes from King Henry IV, Part 1, Richard Il, and King John.
September 24 - Relationships - scenes from King Henry IV,
Part 1, Richard Ill, and Richard II
October 22 "no small parts" - scenes from Richard Il, King John, and King Henry IV, Part 1
2024: The Comedy of Errors - two casts at the Crows’ Nest May 23-26.
2025: Love’s Labour’s Lost - scenes show January 2025
2025: Romeo and Juliet - two casts at Scottish Rite Temple and the Crows’ Nest, June 2025
2025: Improvising with the Bard: workshop at the Crows’ Nest and performance at Tumbleroot Agua Fria Taproom Dec. 10, 2025
For more information, contact caryl@upstartcrowsofsantafe.org
Gym actors include: Alejandro Amundah, Diane Bergstrom, Miles Blitch, Rhoda Bodzin, Mairi Chanel, Gabriel Boston-Friedman, Jean Cheek, Lisa Cooley, Quinn Cooley-Winters, Pam Culwell, Diana Dobbs, Clarence Efroymson, Jack Entwisle, Rebecca Entwisle, Caryl Farkas, Ambrose Ferber, Gen Head, Eida Heinonen, Branwyn Iverson, Jeffrey Gaba, Ian Gonzales, Steven Gonzales, Jason Grenier, LaLa Grenier, Gil Gross, Gen Head, Jane Henzerling, Sam Henzerling, Ariana Karp, Grayson Kirtland, Miles Lawson, Sarah Maner, Isaac Marriner, Zoe Marriner, Kolleen Martinsen, Kieran MacCarthy-Jacobs, Abby McGahey, Amy Meilander, Liam Mitchell, Tracey Mitchell, Francis Parker Stein, Anna Philpot, Ayla Philpot, Rylie Philpot, Hugo Pinkerton, Bailey Rippie, Max Rogers, Faith Rosen, Itai Rosen, Ziv Rosen, Catherine Sheppard, Michael Wall, Clara West, Clementine West, Elizabeth West, Courtney White, Dove Woeltjen, Ashlinn Barber Woeltjen, Juniper Barber Woeltjen, Tycho Barber Woeltjen.
Join us!
Upcoming:
Improvising with the Bard at Tumbleroot Agua Fria Taproom, 2971 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, December 10, 6:30 p.m. performance, 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour.
Visiting Artist Ambrose Ferber’s
The Tempest
performing in June 2026 at the Crows’ Nest.
