Introduction to Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Tragedy Workshop
Big Wheel Theatre Company
We offer two workshops about William Shakespeare1) '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
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Where we travel to
We can visit your school in: All UK Regions
What activities are available during this school 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')
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 topics do we cater for?
English Workshop
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.
Drama Workshop
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 we 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.
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.
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.
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
KS2 - 75 minutes,
KS3 and KS4 - 90 minutes
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, NorfolkTeacher Checklist
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