Details of talks given by Edward Derbyshire
I am an experienced teacher and actor.
I teach theatre studies, piano, Latin, Mandarin Chinese to students from 6 to 66.
I work as an actor and director, now specialising in solo and group performances.
I have worked in many venues, from professional theatres to care homes to domestic sitting rooms, and even on an airport runway.
I have had a theatre company that worked especially with older, often female, professional actors that performed in people's homes, using them as a found space. We have performed Shakespeare and Wilde in these 'ordinary' homes to the hosts' families and friends.
My current solo career concentrates on performing live poetry, or a character from Shakespeare, in between live piano music, to tell a double story. I am currently performing the character of Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and have shown this as an event at venues ranging from a professional music festival to a small sitting room. My poetry and musical performances often include original poetry covering a range of genres written by me and by my father, as an intergenerational piece. These events are dramatised and have included a focus on love, on our journeys through life, and on dementia. They have been very well received by a wide range of audiences, including festival goers, theatregoers, a local macular society, residents, care home audiences, etc.
Some of what I do can be viewed at www.shakespearesheets.com.
I am adaptable, flexible and bring all my own equipment to performances. My solo shows can fit any required timeframe, but usually last for approximately one hour.
Above all else, I believe in the power of storytelling and making a connection with others through performance. Having helped launch the performance careers of many young people over the years, I believe that it is vital to perform myself and to continue that vital tradition of storytelling.