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SCHOOL PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR GRADES 4 - 12
"Thank you for visiting us. We enjoyed your performance tremendously."
shake.speak@verizon.net SHAKESPEARE SPEAKS: A VISIT WITH WILL Called "Funny, wonderful and crowd pleasing" by audiences throughout the U.S. and Canada, A VISIT WITH WILL is a unique opportunity for students and teachers to step back to 1616 for a conversation with William Shakespeare. Ask Will whatever you want to know about him and his times. The theatre, politics and the Queen, his personal life and the plays and poems - Shakespeare brings stories of all these and more. Students are encouraged to ask Will anything he would have known about or had an opinion on. William Shakespeare and the Elizabethan age come to life in this interactive theatre experience. Performance length is flexible. Shows of 40 to 60 minutes with NO INTERMISSION are most common on the secondary level. Elementary performances are done in individual classrooms for 20 to 30 minutes. SHAKESPEARE SPEAKS: THE SONNETS In this performance Will Shakespeare reads from his love sonnets and weaves around them the story of how they came to be written, who they involve and the unusual circumstances of their publication. The sonnets describe the complex relationships between the poet, a young man and a woman. Through these poems the joys and fears, obsessions and jealousies, exaltations and despairs of love between the three have rung with truth for nearly 400 years. Performance length is 60 to 70 minutes with NO INTERMISSION. Not only are the performances highly entertaining, they have proven to provide and support learning opportunities in a variety of subject areas and disciplines. The performances with pre and post discussion and activities address and meet many state requirements for Learning in the Arts. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PERFORMANCES Performances for grades 4 and 5 consist of individual classroom visits with Will Shakespeare. These VISITS WITH WILL last from 20 to 30 minutes with Shakespeare answering questions from the students and telling his stories. In some circumstances two classes can be combined for a VISIT if it does not create too large a group. 50 is about max. Several of these performances can be done in a school day without doing in the artist completely. These visits are quite interesting since kids in these grades seem to have their own concerns and agenda for questions to Will.
William Shakespeare's life and the Elizabethan age can be related to a variety of subject areas. Class sessions have been successful and interesting in all of the following areas: English, Drama, History, Art, Music, Writing, Science, Cooking and the Humanities. Following are examples of some that have worked especially well: 1. The study of an individual Shakespeare play. Reading aloud, discussion and some acting by students and teachers. 2. Discussion of the social/political/personal context that produced William Shakespeare's plays. A.k.a. - Elizabethan-Shakespearean Trivia. Fascinating!! 3. Developing, writing and performing a character monologue. 4. The music and instruments of Shakespeare's time.
1. ACTING UP - Focuses on the basic acting skills of voice and movement, memorization and character development. 2 to 10 hours, grades 4 and up. 2. SOLO PERFORMANCE - On stage alone - performing the soliloquy. 2 to 4 hours, grades 6 and up. 3. SPEAKING SHAKESPEARE'S WORDS - A workable approach to performing Shakespeare for young actors. 4 to 10 hours, grades 6 and up.
A WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS TEACHING SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS - A discussion of ideas, materials and activities for presenting Shakespeare in the classroom. The emphasis is on getting the play off the page and into action. 2 to 6 hours.
"Wow! I got a new reality on the whole idea of what a residency is, School residencies can vary in length from a few days to a few weeks and are designed with the input of teachers to best meet the needs of each situation. Residencies are structured to provide 5 to 6 hours of student contact per school day. School residencies can include any of the performances, class activities and workshops already described. Student performances can also be the focus of a residency. Following are two examples: 1. SHAKESPEARE ON LOVE - A selection of scenes from Shakespeare's best comedies hosted by William Shakespeare. Performance time is 60 to 90 minutes. This project requires at least 30 hours of student contact time plus performances. Grades 6 and up. 20 to 25 students max. 2. The production of a full length Shakespeare play requires a minimum of 60 hours of student contact time plus performances of 80 to 90 minutes length. Grades 6 and up. 20 to 25 students max. ** RENAISSANCE COSTUMES PROVIDED FOR THESE RESIDENCIES. 3. ELEMENTARY LEVEL PLAY - A beginning acting class that ends with the production of a one-act play. 15 to 20 hours of student contact. Grades 3 - 5. 15 students max.
STUDY GUIDES Study Guides and related preparation materials for students and teachers will be provided for all performances and residencies. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Since 1986, touring Actor/Writer Rod Molzahn has been bringing Will Shakespeare to life for audiences throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to performing, Molzahn's extensive experience as teacher and director are the foundation for a variety of Workshop and Residency offerings. Selected for the Arts in Education Residency Programs for the Arts Commissions of both Washington and Oregon, Molzahn has brought Performances and Residencies to schools in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, California, Kansas, Colorado, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. His performances of A VISIT WITH WILL and THE SONNETS have both been included by the Washington Commission for the Humanities in their nationally recognized "Inquiring Mind" series. |
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