Thursday Workshops – October 11, 2012

Choose from either one full-day course or two half-day courses on this day.

FULL DAY COURSES

Choose ONE of the following courses. These workshops begin at 10 a.m. and resume after lunch at 1 p.m.

Telling Stories Through Movement

Develop your students’ skills in alternative ways of constructing and communicating meaning. Join Festival company alumni and teaching artists Andy Massingham and Nicola Pantin to explore ways of integrating dance, movement and mime techniques into the telling of a story. Please wear comfortable clothes and come prepared to move.

Directing Your School Musical: How to Involve Students In Staging and Choreography

This workshop, led by Stephen DiMenna and Paul Shilton, explores techniques and activities that help teachers empower students to create blocking and choreography organically and collaboratively. You’ll experiment with several ways to stage and choreograph musical numbers from Broadway shows throughout the day.

HALF-DAY COURSES

Choose ONE morning and ONE afternoon workshop.

MORNING WORKSHOPS - Beginning at 10 a.m.

Shining Under Shakespeare’s Spotlight

Should Shakespeare be reserved for only academic high school students? No way! Beth Granger, teacher with the UCDSB, shares how she has used Shakespeare with elementary students to unleash their creativity in writing, acting, movie-making and other art forms. Find out why primary and junior students have elevated Shakespeare to rock star status!

Much Ado About Something: Reading Identity as On and Offstage Performance

This workshop, led by Laura Levin, will introduce strategies for reading Shakespearean plays through a performance studies lens, exploring “performance” both as a staging practice and as a useful term for understanding interactions in everyday life. Participants will engage in an in-depth seminar discussion of performance and identity in Much Ado About Nothing and examine how discussions of performance offstage can help students grapple with performance choices onstage.

Teaching Henry V

Join Director of Education, Andrea Jackson, for a fun-filled, practical workshop on teaching Henry V. Perhaps the best known of Shakespeare’s history plays, Henry V is a perfect choice for students. It has a simple plot (with lots of action!), deals with themes that resonate deeply with students, and is full of interesting characters, famous speeches and beautiful poetry. You will leave the workshop with activities, exercises and lesson plans to use immediately and adapt to other texts in your literacy courses.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS - Beginning at 1 p.m.

Help! I Need To Teach Drama

What exactly is “flocking”? How do I set up a successful improv exercise? How can I more comfortably explore “in role” with my students? Join Luisa Appolloni, Education Coordinator, for a fun workshop that takes the fear and mystery out of the most frequently used drama strategies (and the ones that crop up in the curriculum documents most often!) and shows you how to engage your students in quality drama exploration.

Dueling and Manners

Have you ever committed a social faux pas or a breach of protocol? Not sure about the proper way to sit or the correct bow or curtsey to use in a particular time period? Join Festival company members for an informative and hands-on workshop exploring the customs and manners of different eras and the gentlemanly way to challenge someone to a duel!

What To Do With Much Ado? From Engagement to Comprehension to Empowerment

In this workshop, led by Kathleen Gould Lundy, you will be introduced to drama and literacy strategies that engage students with the text of Much Ado About Nothing. You’ll get the tools to help your students explore the themes, ideas, characters and relationships in the play, and be introduced to new creative exercises that help all students (including ELL and struggling readers) comprehend character motivation, discover subtext and question how the play relates to their lived experience.