Max Hafler
Max Hafler began his professional life as an actor, training at LAMDA and working with a whole number of distinguished actors and directors. He is a theatre tutor, director and writer who now specialises primarily in Michael Chekhov Technique and Voice. He trained in Chekhov Technique at MICHA and Michael Chekhov Europe. He teaches at University of Galway Ireland, and has guested at Boston MIT, USMaine Gorham, the Lir and others. He has worked extensively on youth and applied theatre programmes. His book, Teaching Voice,and most recently "What country Friends is This?" are published by Nick Hern Books . He set up Chekhov Training and Performance Ireland to make the West of Ireland a hub for the acting technique. Of his many productions, his most recent professional production was for The Sacrificial Wind , a poem-play by Lorna Shaughnessy about Iphigenia which was made for online viewing and shown at several events and festivals. His college and youth theatre work include The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Yerma ,The Trial, The Bacchae in the version by David Greig and Twelfth Night, which was explored in "What Country?"
Declan Drohan
Declan Drohan M.A. H.Dip.Ad.Ed. currently lectures on the BA Hons. Programme in Performing Arts at Atlantic Technological University Sligo, and the multidisciplinary MA in Creative Practice . A graduate of the Gaiety School Of Acting, he is the former course leader of the acting programme at T.U.D's prestigious Conservatory Of Music and Drama, Rathmines, Dublin. In a thirty year career, his work as a director has encompassed everything from radical reappraisals of classical texts to stagings of new writing and innovative community based projects integrating individuals with often profound disabilities into large scale, mainstream theatre projects, and fourteen years as Senior Youth Theatre Director at the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton where he serves as a board member. His consultancy and training work in adult education, theatre training and disability/equality settings was the focus of his work for a period in the 90’s, with many of the techniques and work processes developed radicalising his teaching and directing work.
His visibility on the Dublin Theatre festival scene has been consistent since relocating to the North West Of Ireland, (How I Failed to Become a Popstar- 2001, Frank Pig says Hello – 2005, Little Dark Star – 2006, Beneath the Bone Moon – 2015) , in addition to directing the annual ‘Bespoke ‘ graduate showcase of emerging acting talent at the Project Arts Centre, Bewley’s Theatre, and the Lyric Theatre Belfast.
For the past seven years, his directing of the Yeats Project has become a major outreach project for the BA Honours programme at ATU Sligo, with performances of the texts in the college’s own Black Box Space, the Yeats Building, Sligo and the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton.
His studies in the past six years have seen him complete training with international Faculty from MCE and MICHA in Michael Chekhov Technique and embark on related practice based research. He is Co Director of Chekhov Training and Performance Ireland and a member of the Chekhov Circle International Studios Group and the MCE Teachers Group. He is adjudicating four festivals for ADCI in 2022 and teaching for the 2nd year in a row at the DLI Summerschool at UL. He is a member of the Association of Drama Adjudicators.
Rena Polley
Rena Polley is a Toronto based actor, writer, producer and teacher. She has worked in theatre, television and film for over thirty years. Rena originally studied with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof in New York City. She has been studying with master teachers from the Michael Chekhov Association for twenty years and has her Teachers Certificate in the technique. She is a member of MICHA and a regular participant in international workshops in the US and Europe. Rena is co-founder of Michael Chekhov Canada and the Artistic Director of The Chekhov Collective ​, a theatre company inspired by the principles of Michael Chekhov.
Niall Colleary
Niall Colleary is a lecturer in Performing Arts at the Atlantic Technical University. He is a teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique. He began working in Theatre in the early 1990’s and his performance experience ranges across Stage, Film, and Television. He holds a Master's degree in Theatre Studies. His teaching interests include, acting for camera, improvisation,comedy, devised theatre, new technologies and performance. In addition to teaching, Niall continues to perform, most recently in his own adaptation of the Cyclops episode from Joyce's Ulysses and as a member of Old Time Radio, performing 1930’s radio scripts for live audiences.
Liz Shipman
Liz Shipman—Director/Choreographer, Specialist in Psychophysical Actor Training, Acting Shakespeare and Active Integrations.
Co-Artistic Director of the Meisner/Chekhov Integrated Training Studio in San Diego (2013-present),Co-Artistic Director of the Kings County Shakespeare Company (NYC) where she directed and/or choreographed over 50 productions (1983-2001),Certified Laban Movement Analyst, self-taught & trained in the Chekhov work
(1987-present). Her approach integrates the work of Michael Chekhov, Rudolph Laban, Irmgard Bartenieff and Arthur Lessac.
In 2020, she launched Virtually Shakespeare, a recurring course on Zoom. Liz relishes working with language-rich texts & creating work that engages both the actor & the audience through heightened atmospheres & fully committed performances.