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Latest Episode:

Episode 9: Kids and Shakespeare with Rachel McNamara

How can Drama be used to improve literacy in the classroom? How can kids demonstrate their comprehension through Drama? What can be gained by challenging students to engage with heightened Shakespearean language? Amy Perry talks to Rachel McNamara about her work as a Teaching Artist with Sydney Theatre Company’s Drama School Program.

Episode 8: Regional Australia and Shakespeare with Rachel McNamara

How does Shakespeare fit within the arts landscape of Regional Australia? How important is it for productions in smaller towns to reflect the communities for whom they are created? Amy Perry talks to Rachel McNamara about living in and creating art for her local community in regional New South Wales.

Episode 7: Physicality and Shakespeare with Julia Billington

How can a physical theatre approach enhance our engagement with Shakespeare’s text? Is there a physical equivalent of the Australian accent? Julia Billington talks with Amy Perry about her preparation for the role of Dromio of Syracuse in Bell Shakespeare’s 2022 production of ‘Comedy of Errors’.

Episode 6: Teaching Artists and Shakespeare with Julia Billington

What do teaching artists, like Bell Shakespeare’s Julia Billington, add to the classroom program? What do they hope to leave behind for the young people and teachers they work with? Amy Perry talks to teaching artist, actor, director and movement coach, Julia Billington in this latest episode.

Episode 5: Mindful Shakespeare with Simon Ward

How can we safely explore the difficult subject matter of Shakespeare’s plays in an era where trigger warnings on new work are commonplace? How can we manage the nerves that sometimes come with performing Shakespeare? How can Shakespeare be used for mindfulness? Simon Ward joins Amy Perry for Part Two of their conversation.

Episode 4: The Voice and Shakespeare with Simon Ward

What does Shakespeare demand of actors vocally? What’s the difference between the ways in which actors are trained in Shakespeare in Australia and overseas? How do you ensure your voice carries in the theatre? Where does the Australian accent fit into all of this? In this episode, Amy Perry unpacks answers to these questions and more with actor, director, voice teacher and psychologist, Simon Ward.

Episode 3: Shakespeare 101

How do we engage students in the study of Shakespeare in a way that is engaging and dynamic? How can we make small changes in the classroom to revitalise this first encounter for young people? As Australian teachers prepare to return to the classroom for 2022, Amy Perry collates resources for framing an active engagement with Shakespeare as theatre in this series, Shakespeare 101. Further step by step instructions for classroom exercises can be found on the website www.lethimroaragain.com. Look out for a new exercise released each day this week to gently ease you back into the school year.

Episode 2: Sport for Jove’s As You Like It – Cast Interview

What demands does a touring production of a Shakespeare play, rehearsed during a Covid year, place on the actor? Is a production Australian just by virtue of being performed in Australia? What place does Shakespeare have within the landscape of Australian theatre?

Cast members of Sport for Jove’s current production of As You Like It, Shan-Ree Tan, Emma Wright and Jade Fuda, join Amy Perry in this episode of Let Him Roar Again.

Episode 1: Prologue

In the 1960s and 1970s , Australian theatre was experiencing a period of rapid change and renewal. New companies were formed with the aim to put Australian stories and voices on the stage for Australian audiences to experience. This movement was labelled the “New Wave”.

Shakespeare was an integral part of this mix. Productions of the classics, including Shakespeare, subsidised new Australian work. This needed to be done in a way that was consistent with the New Wave mission to discover and cultivate the Australian voice.

Fifty years on, what relevance does Shakespeare have for our current social context?

In this episode, Amy Perry asks sets the scene for these discussions to take place. How do we engage with Shakespeare in a way that is vital and compelling? How do we Let Him Roar Again?