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Elizabethan Theatres, Stages, Sets and Props
Discover how Shakespeare’s best kept secrets of how he added secret stage instructions for actors to follow.
Sidecoaching with The Tempest
Sidecoaching is an act through of the play rather than a read through of the play. It is a really useful way of helping students learn not just the plot of the play but also the characters, their motivations and the underlying themes of the play. Continue reading Sidecoaching with The Tempest
Bringing a Shakespeare Soliloquy to life
Finding ways of bringing a Soliloquy to life can be hard for students. That lengthy passage of dialogue can seem impenetrable, complicated and daunting. The following series of activities can help you and your students brings life to a Soliloquy and feel confident about performing it. Continue reading Bringing a Shakespeare Soliloquy to life
Shakespeare’s rural background
Shakespeare’s rural backound has been a great influence on him and his plays. Unlike his contemporaries, Shakespeare didn’t go to university (Oxford or Cambridge), and as such didn’t have an opportunity to loose his accent (which is fairly average of what happens at universities). Not only was his lack of formal education fuel for ridicule… Continue reading Shakespeare’s rural background
5 Things You didn’t know about Shakespeare
Shakespeare is a bit of a mystery to use all, but here are five things that you definitely didn’t know about him. 1 Shakespeare the collaborator. Shakespeare was one of many writers at the time. The entertainment industry was a burgeoning industry at the time and Shakespeare was plying his trade alongside and with many… Continue reading 5 Things You didn’t know about Shakespeare
The Plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 8 chuncks
Here is the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream broken down into 8 manageable chunks for students to work with and mess about with. We do a lot of different activities with a plot outline like this from starting with a simple Still Image for each section activity all the way to looking for lines… Continue reading The Plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 8 chuncks
Elizabethan Costume
This is the Peacham Manuscript. It is the only surviving manuscript from the time of Shakespeare and the only surviving documentation of the costumes that actors might have worn on stage. The image is of a performance of Titus Andronicus. Take a closer look at the image and the central character, is wearing a toga… Continue reading Elizabethan Costume
How Shakespeare uses language to set the scene.
How did Shakespeare overcome not having any set in his stage? How did Shakespeare’s actors use his words to understand how to act? How does this compare to modern performances of Shakespeare? Setting the scene through language. In the opening prologue of Henry V Shakespeare asks us, his audience, to imagine the theatre as the… Continue reading How Shakespeare uses language to set the scene.
Elizabethan Theatres, Stages, Set and Props
This is only surviving image made during the 16th Century and the kind of theatres that Shakespeare would have been familiar with and writing for. They had thrust stages with audience stood around the three sides of the stage for one penny. For more money, audience sat in any of the three galleries around the… Continue reading Elizabethan Theatres, Stages, Set and Props
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