Humber River Shakespeare in the Classroom

Available throughout the School Year

Our Teaching Team

What is a Playshop?

Shakespeare was a PLAYwright.  He wrote PLAYS…not WORKS.  He wrote for actors, who in the Elizabethan Era were actually called PLAYERS.  They performed in theatres known as PLAYHOUSES

Humber River Shakespeare’s Teaching Artists will take Shakespeare’s stories and language off the page and into the hearts, bodies, voices, and imaginations of your students.  Allow your students to discover why his words need to be spoken, need to be played.

Our PLAYshops can be centered on the Shakespeare play of your choice or provide a general introduction to Shakespeare’s language and themes.

Our PLAYshops are ideal for students from Grade 7 and up and can be tailored to the specific needs of your classroom and your curriculum.

Our Teaching Artists are professional actors with specific training in classical theatre performance and experience in arts education. Our Education Team can work with your school to create a unique Playshop experience for your students.

Our PLAYshops are loosely based along 3 different themes, but can always be customized to meet your classrooms needs:

1. Beginning with the Bard

We explore the language of Shakespeare and his invention of words and phrases. Students examine the impact of his plays on popular culture 400 years later. Group vocal exercises allow students to find their own voice in speaking Shakespeare’s words. Edited texts are used to help students gain confidence with language and comprehension, and begin to identify with the characters, images and themes in Shakespeare’s plays.

(Ideal for students new to Shakespeare or those just starting a new play.)


2. Speak the Speech

It is difficult to appreciate the purpose and effect of Shakespeare’s verse without speaking the text aloud. This playshop will introduce students to the “secrets” of speaking Shakespere’s text in order to uncover meaning and reveal intention. Students will explore the text on their feet and deepen their knowledge of iambic pentameter through active play, improvisation and paraphrasing exercises.

(Ideal for students in the process of reading a Shakespeare play.)


3. Page to Stage

This active and energising PLAYshop provides an introduction to Shakespeare’s stagecraft and the theatre practices of the Elizabethan period. Through physical exploration of a key scene from the play of your choice, students will uncover the hidden stage directions in Shakespeare’s verse and discover commonalities and differences between themselves and Shakespeare’s audience.

(Ideal for students who have recently completed a Shakespeare play.)