nj: Drama Australia Journal Several years ago now (2018) I wrote a journal article for nj: Drama Australia Journal. Recently this article has made been available to a wider audience. It's titled Surfing the New Wave: Shakespeare with an Australian Accent. You can read the article here. E Magazine: Drama New South Wales For those … Continue reading Journal Articles Available Now
Introducing Duologues: Shakespeare in the Classroom
When should I use this exercise? I use this exercise as a way of introducing duologues in the classroom. It may be used to lead into a longer assessment task. You may choose to use the whole duologue included below or just assign a section. I like to give students a couple of lessons to … Continue reading Introducing Duologues: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Oh Hell Kite! All? Consonants and Vowels – Macbeth: Shakespeare in the Classroom
When should I use this exercise? I use this exercise as a way for students to use Shakesepare’s text to voice as a performer’s tool and skill. The consonants in Shakespeare’s text tend to carry the intellectual ideas and the vowels carry the emotions of the word. This exercise uses this idea to explore more … Continue reading Oh Hell Kite! All? Consonants and Vowels – Macbeth: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Mood and Ritual – Macbeth’s Witches: Shakespeare in the Classroom
When should I use this exercise? I use this exercise as a way for students to use Shakesepare’s text to explore the dramatic elements of mood and ritual. It makes a nice break from working with deep textual analysis. Step by Step Instructions: Step 1: Warm up using a game of ‘Silver Bullet’. This is … Continue reading Mood and Ritual – Macbeth’s Witches: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Climbing Shakespeare’s Ladder of Ideas: Shakespeare in the Classroom
When should I use this exercise? I use this exercise as a way for students to engage with ensemble work and the text itself. It is designed to help students to understand that longer passages of text do not need to be static on stage. This exercise would follow after some work on iambic pentameter. … Continue reading Climbing Shakespeare’s Ladder of Ideas: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Hamlet Wordless Play: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Hamlet, Act III, Scene ii - Enter a King and a Queen very lovingly; the Queen embracing him, and he her. She kneels, and makes show of protestation unto him. He takes her up, and declines his head upon her neck: lays him down upon a bank of flowers: she, seeing him asleep, leaves him. … Continue reading Hamlet Wordless Play: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Breaking up the Speech – Shylock: Shakespeare in the Classroom
When should I use this exercise? I use this exercise as a way for students to explore how Shakespeare moves the audience and the actor from one idea to another. Students could be introduced to the use of punctuation to give clues to the actor. Step by Step Instructions: Step 1: Break the text into … Continue reading Breaking up the Speech – Shylock: Shakespeare in the Classroom
Hook, Probe, Deflect: Shakespeare 101
Here is the final exercise in the series, ‘Shakespeare 101’, my preferred way to kick off a unit of Shakespeare in the Drama or English classroom. This exercise (number 4 in the series) is a good one for reminding students that when characters speak they have an intention, something they need or want, usually from … Continue reading Hook, Probe, Deflect: Shakespeare 101
Interrupting Lines: Shakespeare 101
Here is Exercise 3 in the series, ‘Shakespeare 101’, my preferred way to kick off a unit of Shakespeare in the Drama or English classroom. Shakespeare’s blank verse includes 10 syllables per line arranged in iambic pentameter. What happens when this rhythm is disrupted? It happens more than you’d think and is a neon sign … Continue reading Interrupting Lines: Shakespeare 101
Words as Weapons: Shakespeare 101
Today continues the series ‘Shakespeare 101’, my preferred way to kick off a unit of Shakespeare in the Drama or English classroom. Exercise 2: ‘Words as Weapons’ is an adaptation of The Globe Theatre’s exercise of the same title. I’ve shortened it here in the interests of time in the classroom. You can find the … Continue reading Words as Weapons: Shakespeare 101
Let Him Roar Again 