Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy

Big Wheel Theatre Company School Workshop

We can visit your school in: All UK Regions

Why book 'Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy' with Big Wheel Theatre Company

We offer two workshops about William Shakespeare

1) 'Introduction to Shakespeare' – this is perfect for students new to studying Shakespeare and offers a solid introduction to the man, his world and his plays. Topics covered are The Globe Theatre, Shakespeare’s audience, and the basic types of plays he wrote Comedies, Tragedies and Histories. To illustrate the main points we refer to the plays 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream', 'Titus Andronicus' and 'Hamlet'. The workshop is very interactive and great fun, no previous knowledge of Shakespeare is needed and your students will leave with a genuine interest in finding out more about our greatest playwright.

2. 'Shakespeare and Tragedy' - this is a more advanced workshop suitable for KS3 and KS4. It poses the question 'What is a Shakespearean Tragedy?' Using extracts from different plays we look at the main conventions of the genre. In it we use scenes from 'Macbeth', 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet', to make the different educational points.

If you are studying a particular play please let us know and we will relate the points we make to your text. This will give your students a richer understanding of the play they are studying and show them how it compares with others.

Bespoke workshops – sometimes schools ask us to create a workshop that focuses on the play they are studying. If this is something you are interested in then get in touch and we can discuss the possibility and any extra costs.

“Thank you for your Shakespeare performance last week. The students really enjoyed it and year 7 were buzzing in English afterwards. I do hope you can come to us again.” High School Teacher, Sheringham, Norfolk

Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy photograph

school trip at Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy

school groups Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments

What activities are available during this educational workshop?

Both workshops are very interactive. In 'Introduction to Shakespeare' students become the contestants in a game show presented by William Shakespeare himself, the troubled family in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and the cast of our own 5 minute version of 'Hamlet'.

In 'Shakespeare and Tragedy' the audience become a blasted heath as 3 mysterious witches appear, students are invited to a rather unusual banquet at Dunsinane Castle and become members of the company of rude mechanicals in our version of 'Pyramus and Thisbe' (the tragedy performed in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream')

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

Curriculum topics available: Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare is arguably one of our our greatest playwrights. However, it can often be challenging to get students excited by his plays that were written so long ago in a strange poetic language and with a vocabulary of words no longer used. In these workshops we aim to bust the myth that Shakespeare is difficult to teach and understand by using humor, modern day references and having a lot of fun.

We use drama and theatre skills to engage students in these workshops about the plays of William Shakespeare. Students are actively involved in the workshop at all times and in being so their learning is enhanced. Teachers will see how easy it is to use simple drama techniques to animate their teaching, embed learning and make the experience memorable and fun.

What size groups do you cater for?

Our audience maximum is
60 students for Introduction to Shakespeare.
75 students for Shakespeare and Tragedy

People often ask us to accommodate more but we find that when the audience is too big the overall learning experience for the students not as good. Our workshops are very interactive, students are encouraged to take part, speak out etc and it can become rather overwhelming when there are too many of them.

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

Yes of course - we work in a flexible way that allows for the easy adaptation of our sessions to students of all abilities.

Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

We have extensive experience working with a range of different needs and abilities with ages ranging from Early Years through to KS4, including much work in SEN and PRU settings, and all our actors thrive on the variety of audiences that we encounter.

Anything else?

Workshop running times

KS2 - 75 minutes,
KS3 and KS4 - 90 minutes

Who are Big Wheel Theatre Company?

Big Wheel is a theatre in education company that has been delivering high quality creative and interactive workshops and events for young people in the UK and Europe. We have produced workshops that meet the curriculum in English Literature, MFL, History, STEM, Citizenship and more.

We pride ourselves on our approach to inclusivity, creating a warm, supportive atmosphere that means students feel encouraged to participate in this interactive environment. We always respect that some students will prefer simply to watch and make sure that they feel just as involved.

Big Wheel workshops are fun, entertaining and interactive, enabling us to easily explore themes, encourage thought and discussion, explain complex and sensitive topics, and deliver a powerful message. We approach our audiences with no preconceived ideas about them. We strive to ensure that every single member of our audience leaves feeling like they have been an active part of the workshop.

Reviews from Schools..

★★★★★
"Thank you for your Shakespeare performance last week. The students really enjoyed it and year 7 were buzzing in English afterwards. I do hope you can come to us again."

Sheringham, Norfolk