Helen Housley Presents Workshop at Lessac Conference

Helen Housley, associate professor of theater, presented a workshop, “Exploring Shakespeare’s Consonants: An Experiential Journey,” at the 7th Annual Conference of the Lessac Institute, University of Memphis, January 5-7, 2012. The workshop explored the practical application of Housley’s research focused on Shakespeare’s deliberate placement of consonants in his words/lines, thereby providing his actors with subliminal instruction in how to ‘speak the speech’ in terms of pacing, characterization, and behavioral interpretation. Housley’s hypothesis suggests that contemporary actors may use this same technique in their own Shakespearean character development.