"Before Class BASH'd, the thought of walking into an audition with a Shakespeare monologue turned my stomach. Through their comprehensive text analysis techniques and energetic rehearsal prompts, I discovered a greater trust in my work and abilities. I now look forward to Shakespeare monologue auditions as valuable opportunities to deepen my relationship with the text."
- Carling, past participant

Join us for Class BASH'd!
Spend two Sundays delving into classical text and walk away with two new audition pieces ​and lots of useful tools for text work.

In week one, you will bring in a new monologue that you'd like to work on. After spending the day exploring this monologue with James, Julia, and the rest of the class, the BASH'd team will personally select a monologue for you, which you will explore in week two. At the end of the class, you'll have two new pieces ready for auditions.
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Dates:
Sundays, March 9 & 16
10am to 6pm EST each day, in person, in Toronto.

Masks are not required for in person classes, however you're welcome to wear one if that makes you more comfortable.

Cost:
Sliding scale - $225 or $175
Once you're accepted into the class, you'll be able to choose a price point that works for you.

We're also offering a limited number of deeply discounted spots in the class, priority will be given to IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour), transgender, non-binary, two-spirit, genderqueer, and otherwise gender-diverse actors.

To register, complete the online application form. After your application is accepted, you'll be sent payment information.

Fill out the form below for both full price and discounted spots in the class:
About James Wallis:
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James is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH’d. For BASH’d, James has played the title roles in Hamlet, Richard III, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. With BASH’d, James directed twelve productions and staged readings, including The Tragedy of King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also, James has been the co-instructor for their audition/acting workshop called Class BASH’d, the co-instructor of The Play’s the Thing: Shakespeare for Everyone, and the co-instructor of BASH’d Book Buds, an early modern play reading group.
 
James has spent four seasons at the Stratford Festival. He was a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing in 2016/2017 assistant directing Macbeth with director Antoni Cimolino (2016), the world premiere of Bunny by Hannah Moscovitch, directed by Sarah Stanley (2016), Romeo and Juliet (2017) and Julius Caesar (2018) directed by Scott Wentworth. Also, James was the text coach and assistant director of the production The Winter’s Tale in the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Acting, directed by Jonathan Goad (2018). In 2021, he co-curated and co-directed Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape at the Stratford Festival.
 
James is also the Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. His other directing credits include: The Tempest (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (YES Theatre/STC); As You Like It (Theatre by the Bay), reasons to be pretty (Labute Cycle), Shakespeare in Hospitals (Spur of the Moment Shakespeare Collective), Titus Andronicus (Hart House Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra (Secret Shakespeare Project), Scenes from The Tempest (Playing for Free), Henry IV Part 1 and 2 (Theatre Erindale), The Tom and Gertie Letters Project (Springworks Festival), Romeo and Juliet and Joni (Workshop Production), Pygmalion, The Duchess of Malfi, and The Revenger’s Tragedy (TMU Theatre School).
 
James has been an instructor of classical, contemporary, and Shakespearean acting at Toronto Metropolitan University, U of T Mississauga, and Randolph College for the Performing Arts.
 About Julia Nish-Lapidus:

​Julia is a director, actor, and producer, who serves as Co-Artistic Director of both Shakespeare BASH'd and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. In addition to her work with Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has worked with the Stratford Festival, Shakespeare in Action, Theatre by the Bay, Randolph College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Canadian Stage.

After falling in love with Shakespeare at the age of ten, Julia has spent her life studying his work, with a focus on Shakespearean text (even studying grammar in university to better understand the language). 

In 2010, she co-founded Shakespeare BASH'd with her husband James, and went on to produce all of the company's sold-out productions.  She has worked as the Managing Director of Common Boots Theatre and as part of the team at The Theatre Centre. She was a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing at the Stratford Festival in 2019and 2022, acting as the Assistant Director on Private Lives and returned as Associate Director on All's Well That Ends Well, and as co-facilitator of the Play by the Book series in the Forum. In 2021, she co-curated and co-directed Play On! A Shakespeare Inspired Mixtape at the Stratford Festival.

For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed Cymbeline, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, and the staged reading of The Duchess of Malfi. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Volpone (staged reading), The Tragedy of King Lear. 

Selected Additional Credits: She Stoops to Conquer, Play On! (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (YES Theatre/STC); 3Tempests (Shakespeare in Action), The Duchess of Malfi, The Revenger’s Tragedy (Co-Director, TMU Theatre School); The Tom & Gertie Letters Project (Co-Director, SpringWorks), Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), Titus Andronicus (Text Coach, Hart House), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall).​ ​