Trousdale School students spent a semester studying William Shakespeare in Drama Class. The unit was inspired by the Blue Apple Theatre Company, a group based in Winchester, England that puts on workshops and professional plays using actors with learning disabilities.
The unit began with an introduction to Elizabethan England. Students learned about Elizabethan dress, social rules, and what it would have been like to experience a play at the Globe Theater in the sixteenth century. They also learned about the life of Shakespeare, his works, and his contributions to the English language.
Students did readings of three excerpts from well-known Shakespearean plays. As we read the scripts, students practiced reading aloud, speaking clearly, and expressing themselves through body language. Each student read for a variety of roles before being assigned to one particular scene. Many students were so dedicated to the project that they took their scripts home to practice their lines. Students practiced blocking on the stage and finally the scenes were filmed with a few supports, such as a Smartboard used as a prompter for lines. As you can see, the students were totally immersed in their characters!
Many thanks to Jeanette Hopkins for compiling and editing the videos. Please enjoy “The Balcony Scene” from Romeo and Juliet, “Pyramus and Thisbe” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and “The Witches’ Scene” from MacBeth!