Virtual Masterclass 2026: Revealing the Secret to Shakespeare

Revealing the Secret to Shakespeare:
Elizabethan Rhetoric: An Introduction
A two day online class with Armin Shimerman
August 8 & 9 OR August 15 & 16

The first portion of this class is a 90-minute lecture focused on Rhetoric and the Elizabethan world picture, followed by work with volunteers who will read and perform (memorization not necessary) a speech from Shakespeare followed by comments on topics ranging from history, culture, superstition religion, and, of course, Rhetoric. After receiving the notes, the volunteer will be asked to deliver the speech again to the class, incorporating the suggested changes. Prior to the class, students will be provided with a handout from the instructor. For people participating in the Zoom class, being able to refer to a copy of the complete works during class is helpful but not essential. If you would like to volunteer to do a monologue for the class, please email academy@antaeus.org. A background in acting is helpful, but not essential. Speeches will be assigned to volunteers a week in advance of the class.

*Please note, students under 18 require permission from the moderator to take this academy class. If you’re in this category, please reach out to us at academy@antaeus.org.

About Armin Shimerman
He's given lectures and taught Shakespeare to thousands of people, including actors, directors, writers, teachers, and lovers of Theater. With an English degree in Elizabethan studies from U.C.L.A. where he has also taught Shakespearian acting, he has given classes at Pomona College, Cal Lutheran University, and Theatricum Botanicum. Armin Shimerman is a highly regarded actor and is best known to television audiences as Quark, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Plus 80 different Guest Star roles, including Antaeus the Nox on Stargate, Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Judge Hooper on Boston Legal. On Broadway: Three Penny Opera; St. Joan; I Remember Mama, and Broadway. Selected Regional Theater: King Lear (Fool) at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater, the Seafarer (Blind Richard Harkin) at San Diego Rep. – San Diego Critics Circle Award for Best Actor: Richard III, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Merry Wives of Windsor (at the San Diego Old Globe); Henry V (American Shakespeare Festival) and Polonius (Hamlet), the Porter (Macbeth), and Gregory Solomon (the Price) at the Utah Shakespeare festival. For Antaeus, he has taught, acted, and co- directed The Crucible, Measure for Measure, and Twelfth Night. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC) where he taught Shakespeare to Theater BFAs. In addition, he has three novels about the early days of William Shakespeare entitled Illyria published by Jumpmaster Press. He has given lectures on Shakespeare to thousands of people.