Now that a whole week has passed I have a much better sense of the program. This is not to say I know what to expect; this program continues to surprise me each day.
Just to recap, the goal of Teaching Shakespeare through Performance is to show educators ways of breaking down the intimidating barrier of Shakespeare’s works and help the text come alive for students. By the end of the program, we will have explored three plays and learned a variety of strategies to achieve all sorts of learning goals.
Almost every day involves a different order of sessions, but there’s a general daily learning schedule. Our day typically starts between 9 or 10 am. We have two morning activities, a break, two afternoon activities, then dinner around 6 pm. Our morning will usually involve “Shakespeare in the Classroom” with Tom, our Globe Education Specialist. He is an experienced actor and excellent at transferring theatre techniques to an educational setting! Then, we typically observe Globe Education Specialists leading schoolchildren in “lively action” workshops. Watching them teach has been exceptionally eye-opening because surprisingly, students in the UK are not so different than students in the US. It helps me see where my students may struggle when I try these lessons in the States.
After lunch, we reflect on our learning in some capacity. I really appreciate how realistic the program has been about implementing these strategies in the classroom. We have discussed possible “hiccups” and differentiation techniques. The program leaders recognize and stress that every classroom will look different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all template. After reflecting, we will have a guest speaker or workshop leader from the Globe. Our guest speakers have been extremely talented and knowledgeable about acting and Shakespeare; many of them work with the actors at the Globe! I’ve never taken voice or movement lessons before, but I 100% see the benefit of this for all teachers.
Some days one of our sessions is a scene rehearsal with our short groups, which will be sort of a summative assessment of our learning. I’ve been cast as Helena for the opening scene. If you’re unfamiliar with the play, essentially she is completely lovesick over Demetrius so she betrays her best friend to win his love. I’m hoping I can capture her complexity in the “How happy o’er others some can be...” soliloquy, but I’m struggling to memorize some lines.
We centered our activities and discussion around Dream this week and finished our learning by watching the play at the Globe. The play was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, mostly because of the shape of the Globe. Because of it’s round shape, I was hyper aware of the audience’s attention and response to what was happening. Often, it felt like the characters were standing in trial in the middle of the town square, pleading their case and begging you to agree. I loved how playful, accessible, and creative they made the play, and I’m looking forward to Merry Wives and Henry V.
I’m just finishing off my “weekend” catching up with an old friend and going to see a different play tonight. I can’t quite say the name, but I’ll just say it’s very loosely based on Hamlet (and no, it’s not The Lion King)! London is so lovely and I’m thrilled to be here for a bit longer!
Until then 💕