Uplifted by Shakespeare

Liam Fairbrother as Puck in III met by Moonlight, Karori West Normal School, directed by Dale Hendry.

Any teacher who has worked with students to perform one of Shakespeare’s works will be able to tell you of a transformation they have witnessed in their students.

Of perhaps a new-found confidence with language and text comprehension, or a huge leap in their capacity to lift text from the page and give it life, or an increased self-esteem from having met the challenge of performing a text which at first they found incomprehensible.

In 2008 Wellington Primary school Karori West Normal School created a Samoan influenced ensemble rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which they named III met by Moonlight (directed by Dale Hendry).

Janice Jones, DP at Karori West Normal says, “We witnessed the students discovering their untapped potential and talents they didn’t realise they had.

“They learnt lines prodigiously, explored the meanings of the words, often independently, supported each other and became, under Dale’s direction, a very cohesive group.”

She notes that one of the very special outcomes of choosing Shakespeare as the text was watching students’ “delight in the language – there were heart-stopping moments where they made Shakespeare’s language their own and held the audience in the palms of their hands”.

In the words of Lucy Brewerton, a year seven student who played Bottom, “I gained confidence – I was speaking like a Shakespearean actor, loudly and confidently”.

Uplifting Shakespeare –Playing with Shakespeare the TRCC course to be held from 13th-16th July in Wellington is an opportunity for primary teachers to explore how to use Shakespeare in their classrooms and schools.

Sarah Nunn, Globe Education UK will be one of the lead tutors on this course and will be offering workshops on: Integrating Creative Approaches to the Curriculum, in which she will “investigate ways of exploring a story or situation from different perspectives, consider the learning environment and look at how these experiences can support the development of students’ communication, thinking and writing skills; Creating an original piece of Ensemble Theatre in which she will be working collaboratively with primary students and teachers, investigate the theme of ‘identity’ and discover how Shakespeare can inspire a new way of viewing the world.”

Whether this course will be the first time you play with Shakespeare or a timely revisit with the Bard, this course will offer an opportunity to be uplifted by Shakespeare.