Rory's Linklater MFA

"Theatre is alchemy, and if theatre is to be potent, the ingredients must not avoid the extremities of life." - Kristin Linklater 

For those of you who might not know me, my name is Rory Hammond.  I have had the good fortune to be able to perform nearly my entire life. I have performed on Shakespeare & Company’s stages since I was 12 years old. I am a graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School, as well as a founding member of Animus Theatre Company. I am also a teacher. For the past four years I have had the privilege of teaching for CATA (Community Access to the Arts), an organization that nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through the arts. And for the past eight years I have been teaching with Shakespeare & Company's Education and Training Programs. To help express why I choose to remain a member of this particular artistic community, allow me to quote from the Company’s mission statement: "Shakespeare & Company is a sustainable, integrated, and vital program of Performance, Training, and Education for the audience, the artist, the Company, and the community. We embrace the classical ideals and visceral experience of Shakespeare’s work: collaboration, commitment to language, physical prowess and the embodied voice." 

Just before the pandemic hit, I had the pleasure of being accepted into the MFA program of my dreams, the Master of Fine Arts Linklater Teaching Practice at ALRA. ALRA is the Academy of Live and Recorded Art, which was founded in 1979, and was the first drama school in England to offer classes that encompassed all forms of media: live theatre, television, film, and radio. What drew me to this school was the program Kristin Linklater had put together with the help of many ALRA faculty members, the Linklater MFA. I was thrilled to think that I would have the opportunity, along with other classmates, to spend months at a time with Kristin, and be taught by her. But roughly one year ago Kristin passed away. The entire Linklater community was shocked and heartbroken, and her passing, coupled with the closures forced by the pandemic, delayed inauguration of the program for more than year. During that time, my resolve strengthened, and I now feel, more than ever, how important this work is. I want to explore more and more what it means for humans to free their natural voice.

Having completed this course of study, I will be a Linklater Designated Voice Teacher, and have my MFA. This Designation and degree will enable me to teach this vocal technique all over the world. The program will take roughly two years, and I will need to live and learn in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. This amount is only a portion of what I will need to come up with so I can complete the program. The money raised here will go directly to a visa, tuition, flight costs, and living expenses for a year. (I learned only recently that the program was set to begin this coming September, so time is of the essence.) I am painfully aware of the impact the pandemic has had on our theatre community, and wish I could be asking at a better time. But every little bit will help! No donation is too small! 

The Linklater vocal technique hinges on breath and freedom of the natural voice. As we move out of the pandemic and into a new and uncertain world, I cannot think of anything more worthwhile than to invite and encourage human beings to stand face to face, to take a deep breath, and to speak. I cannot tell you all how much your love and support mean to me. 

"I can no other answer make but thanks and thanks and EVER thanks.”

                                                 - William Shakespeare