Description:

Read it! Act it! Students will enjoy this two-hour, semester-long workshop with Shakespearian coach Heather Sanderson who hails from England and is known for instilling a love of Shakespeare into the hearts of students throughout the Greater DC area. The class will explore Shakespeare's timeless comedy, analyze its characters, plot, themes and motives.

Students will read different roles, study and act out scenes, practice monologues, and work through the literature while having fun with fellow teens. Theatre games will be used to encourage collaboration, and specially designed improv exercises will be used to stretch teens' imaginations and help them get "in character". The class will use read-aloud and in-class dramatization to decipher the original language, word choices, and to identify humor, satire, mockery, betrayal, and rejection in this mixed-up comedic tale of mistaken identity. The class will work from complete texts (not redacted, abridged, or simplified school versions) to hear and practice Elizabethan lingo. (How did someone of Shakespeare's time hurl insults or woe a woman?) Students will learn how the Bard crafted scenes and conveyed the primary storyline and sub-plots in a comedy that has endured for over 400 years.

Several scenes will be shared with parents on the last day of class as a way for students to demonstrate their appreciation and understanding of what they have learned about Shakespeare. Instructor Heather Sanderson shares a teaching style based on actions and interactions, developed from years of experience coaching Shakespeare in a way that appeals to students. Her approach brings abstract concepts, complex themes, and difficult language to the students' level, so that they can relate to and appreciate Shakespeare.

Topics in this Series: Twelfth Night (Semester 1), Romeo and Juliet (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Workload: Students should expect to spend 0-1 hour per week outside of class reading and memorizing sections.

Assignments: Sections will be assigned in class and included in the weekly e-mail to parents/students.

Assessments: Will not be given.

Textbook: The cost of the class text is included in the course fee.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in English Literature or Fine Arts for purposes of a high school transcript.