Our in-school workshops are designed to further engage students with Shakespeare’s stories and language in a variety of ways accessible to multiple learning styles. Our on-your-feet imaginative approach succeeds with students who have tons or no prior experience with Shakespeare—and everywhere in between. Our workshops are a great preparation tool to familiarize students with language and themes of a particular play before they see our production, or to deepen their experience of the play after seeing an Advice To The Players performance.
Below are descriptions of the workshops we offer. If you have questions or need help deciding what approach would best serve your students, give us a call.
One free workshop is offered to a school that has a class attending one of our spring tour performances.
Please let Advice To The Players know the following pertinent information when booking workshops so our Teaching Artists can tailor the workshop to your specific group for a successful workshop:
How many students will be attending the workshop and the age range of students
Where the workshop will be held (Classroom, Theatre, Gym, Hallway, etc.)
The time and exact length of each workshop, including time for students to get to and from where the workshop is being held
When your students are seeing the production
Your class’ prior engagement with the play: Have they read it in class? Are they performing scenes from it? Did they watch a film or adaptation of the script?
If you have any learning needs or requests specific to your students, please let us know
Active play exploration (40-60 minutes)
Serves up to 35 students
Pre or post-attendance workshop; engages students with the story of the play either before they see ATTP’s live production or deepens their experience of the play after seeing it on stage
Requires ample playing space, such as a gym, stage, multi-purpose room, or cafeteria space
Through a variety of games and exercises, students will actively explore one of Shakespeare’s plays. Different facets of this workshop focus on story, language, and character with particular emphasis given to the students’ own creative interpretation of the play.
Geared towards students who haven’t yet seen ATTP’s production of this year’s play; a pre-attendance workshop
Through classroom discussion and theatrical exploration of a particular speech, students will engage with the performance of Shakespeare’s language. This workshop provides students with tools to help them engage and appreciate Shakespeare as audience members.
How to direct (and watch) a Shakespeare play (20 to 45 minutes)
Serves up to 200 students
Geared towards students who haven’t yet seen ATTP’s production of this year’s play; a pre-attendance workshop
Requires the auditorium for multiple classes, but can be held in a classroom for a single class
Through the repeated performance of a particular scene (or two) byAdvice To The Players performers, students will learn the nuance of what to watch and listen for in a Shakespeare play. Students will direct the scene(s) in a variety of ways and see their suggestions come to life before their eyes.