The Blog

The holiday season is a joyous time of year! And it is also very, very busy. As attention turns to the whirlwind of school vacations, presents, and family visits, we at Shakespeare For Our Children asked ourselves: What can Shakespeare illuminate about the end-of-year hustle and bustle? 

Quite a lot, as it happens! There’s the importance of each individual lighting their own little candle of good will; the knowledge that everyone has a part to play in any endeavour, on-stage or off; and of course, the always essential reminder – “To thine own self be true”. 

Ultimately, as Shakespeare observed so beautifully, “all the world’s a stage”. This season offers many opportunities for acting out various roles and responsibilities; Shakespeare reminds us that we can do so with a touch of grace. 

It is no secret that we at Shakespeare For Our Children love Halloween, the most theatrical holiday of all! There are many ways to celebrate with young actors: making trick-or-treating into a performance in itself; telling tales of haunted theatres; and even using the season as a time to think about bigger issues like stage fright.

Halloween is also an opportunity to put on a show, of course. In the past, we have worked on short productions that bring together eerie scenes in what we call “Shakespeare’s Haunted House.” Here, famous moments in plays like Macbeth (Macbeth’s encounter with the Three Witches, his “sound and fury” monologue) and Hamlet (the Prince of Denmark’s encounter with his ghostly father) allow young actors to explore the spectral side of Shakespeare’s work. 

Keep the sets and costumes simple – have a look at some of the techniques we have used here. If you happen to put on the production in a home, you can really bring the “haunted house” to life! Perhaps stage scenes from one of the plays in your first room, and then guide your audience to another room for the next excerpts. In fact, you can write some brief contextual material for a ghostly narrator to share as they lead the audience from one space to another. 

Planning the production itself – what scenes to choose, and why? – is also a terrific time to reflect on the deeper themes represented by the supernatural. Memory, regret, ambition – all of these are evoked in Shakespeare’s haunted characters, and all are worthy of discussion as the troupe prepares the performance. Happy Halloween!

Clearly we love Shakespeare at any time of year! But there is something especially dramatic about the autumn – a chill in the air, golden leaves, nights getting longer – that makes thoughts turn to the Bard and what he might illuminate about this season of transition.

For children and grown-ups alike, one of the more striking changes is heading back to school. We have explored this topic over the years, and you can see some of our “greatest hits” here. 

Of course, we cannot help but think about “The whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school” (As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII) – a highly appropriate line from the “all the world’s a stage” monologue. And who knows, reflecting on the school-as-stage might even be a helpful way of spurring on reluctant students!

We have even considered the slump that can hit us once the hustle and bustle of new school days has passed. At this point, check out our post on harvesting potential and ways to reflect on the schoolwork that we (again, teachers and students alike!) might find ourselves doing by rote.

As authors Miriam Weiner and Shannon Whitt remind us in their lovely book Shakespeare’s Seasons, each time of year brings its own wondrous possibilities – and it is always exciting to reflect on what the coming months have in store. See you at Halloween!

We all know that by the middle of the summer, it can feel like we’re in a bit of a rut. And even the most dedicated theatrical troupe is no exception! If you and your young thespians need a break from rehearsing a production – or even from re-reading classic books about the Bard in the comfort of an air-conditioned room – why not try a Shakespeare-themed treasure hunt?

This is the perfect activity for the August slump: interesting to plan, fun to carry out, and totally versatile no matter the weather. On a sunny day, hide the treasures outdoors in a park or your backyard; if it’s rainy, use an interior space.

When it’s time to choose the sought-after items, keep it simple. Draw from your stock of props, or even reimagine household items. You could hide Prospero’s wand from The Tempest, for example, or King Henry V’s crown. If you can go outside, flowers from A Midsummer Night’s Dream fairy glen could be a lovely addition. For the clues, you can guide the children to the items through a line of dialogue. We recommend thinking about the characters and / or plays that matter the most to your children – every group has their favourites!

By the same token, why not ask the children to plan the treasure hunt themselves? This kind of group activity builds on an existing spirit of camaraderie; at the same time, it offers even the more reluctant young actors an opportunity to engage with Shakespeare’s words. After all, as well we know, all the world’s a stage!

No question, the work that comes to mind when we think of Shakespeare and summer is – naturally – A Midsummer Night’s Dream! This was the first play that the original Shakespeare For Our Children troupe performed, over 30 years ago; and as such, it holds a very special place in the history of the program. Over the course of that summer, we held daily rehearsals, made props and costumes, and fostered an overall feeling of camaraderie and goodwill  that defined the spirit of SFOC for future generations.

It will come as no surprise, then, that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a favourite in our blogs and teaching resources! We’ve explored the magic of Puck’s epilogue  and the value of Philostrate’s speech for actors just beginning their on-stage journey; we’ve examined romantic misunderstandings in the play and, in practical terms, costuming and character-related theatre games for building trust between actors.

With midsummer almost here, we invite you to revisit these posts and see if there are ways to bring some enchantment to these lovely, long days with your children. Take it from us: Shakespeare will make this a summer to remember.

April 23 marks the day of Shakespeare’s birth, 460 years ago. This year, bring your students together to celebrate this special day! You will be in good company: Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon, is holding a weekend of events; and the Folger Shakespeare Library have shared a range of excellent ideas to help you pay tribute to the Bard.

This is also a great opportunity to explore the resources that we have compiled here at Shakespeare For Our Children. You can find theatre games and excerpts from plays like Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet. Perhaps you would like to learn more about Shakespeare’s very first trip to see a play or his life in London, or to browse through beautiful images from the Folger digital image collection. (The illustration above, depicting Shakespeare’s merry characters, comes from that site!) Whatever approach you wish to take, there’s something here for everyone.

Of course, we believe in celebrating Shakespeare every day of the year! But it is especially magical to reflect on his life and legacy in solidarity with Shakespeare lovers around the world. Happy Birthday, Shakespeare!

Spring is a time of blossoming and renewal; and in honour of this lovely season, we wanted to gather together a few of our favourite Spring-themed posts from over the years!

A good place to begin is with the picture-book garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers, a 1969 classic that explores the symbolism of various flora in his works. You could also think about Shakespeare’s upcoming springtime birthday (April 23^rd), reading Diane Stanley and Vennema’s Bard of Avon aloud to your young actors.

You may also wish to gather your troupe together to think about the broader significance of this season. Encourage the children to claim this as a time of hope and “Spring cleaning”, setting aside old habits and making room for new ways of thinking about their theatrical work – and anything else that matters to them! 

Or perhaps Spring represents a new beginning for you as a teacher and / or parent. As teachers, we tend to focus on challenging and supporting our students – but it is just as important to renew our own spirits. If you have been working with a particular range of materials for a long time, even the most exciting plays and characters can feel a bit over-done; it is easy to take such things for granted. Now might be just the right moment to reset your approach: think back to acting exercises you have not shared with the children for a long time, or maybe introduce a new piece of music or costuming into a familiar production. 

Whatever your priority this season, we hope you find a few fun things to explore in this Spring bouquet!

Leap Year has rolled around once again, and with it comes a sense of excitement and possibility. A few years ago, we wrote about “Leap Year Proposals” – encouraging teachers, parents, and students to try their luck by taking on a part, monologue, or scene that they would not have thought of tackling before. Of course, the last Leap Year was 2020; and at that point, no one knew what challenges were in store for the entire world, much less an acting troupe! 

Four years later, we have the opportunity to reflect with our students on the chances they have taken and the challenges they have faced. Which is to say: last Leap Year may have been about taking leaps of faith; this time, we want students to measure how far they have come. Do they feel more confident battling stage fright? Have they tried different kinds of roles – and if so, what kind of experience was that? Or maybe your students look back and feel as if they have still-hidden goals that they would like to achieve in the coming months – in that case, this may be just the time for a gentle, encouraging push.

2020 showed us that we can never know what lies ahead, or indeed just how much faith we will need. This Leap Year, encourage your students to take stock of all they have accomplished – and to move ahead with hope.

We all know that the New Year is a time of reflection and anticipation – and even inspiration! At the start of each year, we at Shakespeare For Our Children think about different ways to bring the Bard into the daily lives of young actors, parents, and teachers. And as we, indeed, reflect on past posts, we realized that there was a running theme: To thine own self be true.

This line comes from one of the most famous monologues in Hamlet, in which Polonius gives his son, Laertes, words to guide him on his travels. We have explored the speech itself in the context of back-to-school advice – and also New Year’s resolutions, no less! 

But we can also see the golden thread of holding to one’s dreams, hopes, and values running through our numerous topics: from daring to try a role that seems impossible to learning your lines thoroughly for the good of the play; from lighting a little candle of community to encouraging young actors to learn more about themselves through the parts they play.

At the end of each session of the programme, we always give our students a special copy of the play that they have worked on across the year. And for our “graduating” students – young people moving on to different schools, for example – we use Polonius’ words as the inscription. To thine own self be true: words to live by, at any time of the year.

At this time of year, we always explore the eerie side of Shakespeare’s world — from Hamlet meeting his father’s ghost to Macbeth encountering the Three Witches; from haunted theatres to the art of trick-or-treating. But now, we want to examine what is for many children the scariest thing of all: Stage Fright!

Certainly we have set out strategies for supporting reluctant thespians: see, for instance, our posts about how to inspire students and create a caring community within your troupe. Yet for some children, the idea of going out on stage and speaking in front of an audience is just too terrifying to even consider. As a teacher and / or parent, it can be difficult to know how to help.

This Halloween, we invite you to gather your students together and address their fears directly. Find out what it is, exactly, that is so intimidating. Is it the dread of making a mistake or forgetting a line? Remind the child that you, in the role of the narrator, will be there with a helpful prompt. Or maybe it is a feeling of self-consciousness; a sense that the student has to be themselves on-stage rather than play a part. In this case, emphasize that an essential part of rehearsals is becoming comfortable with a given role. The more committed a young actor is to their part — the harder they work to understand and know their character — the easier it will be to become that character in performance. 

Of course, we know that it takes time to overcome any fear! When in doubt, offer the reassurance that there is a part for everyone in Theatre, on the stage or behind the scenes.

And also take the opportunity to talk with the students about the idea of performance more broadly, and about the many parts we play every day in our daily lives. After all, in Shakespeare’s unforgettable words: “All the world’s a stage.”

©2023