What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hours per weekHomework
No work is required outside of class.Assessment
This class requires active participation. Learners will be assessed on their willingness to explore the language and discuss the theatrical possibilities of the play.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Calling all actors, play readers, and die-hard Shakespeare fans! 👉 Are you obsessed with the plays of William Shakespeare? 👉 Do you want to read and discuss his lesser-read works with other human beings? 👉 Do you want to grow your cold reading skills? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should join the Shakespeare Underground! Drop in to read scenes from your favorite plays or stay through the sequence to read from his lesser-known works. Come be a part of the creative chaos! ***If you are looking for a specific play you want to read, I recommend checking out my Play Reading classes instead.*** What we will do 👇 Each week we will read scenes from a Shakespeare play together, discussing and asking questions about the text as we go along. Each participant will read a variety of roles, switching frequently through different characters to get a breadth of experiences. All learners will be active participants. Who this class is for 👇 Enthusiastic teens interested in reading through the cannon with a group of other like-minded Shakespeareans. Actors and non-actors of all skill levels and experience are welcome as long as they have a strong interest. This is great for actors to learn how to quickly cold read a scene and non-actors learning to decode Shakespeare’s language through weekly exposure to his work. What we will learn 👇 This class is focused on fluency with Shakespeare’s language and cold reading skills. I like to think of it as “Shakespeare Immersion” where we dive right in, grappling with the language together, and examining the text for clues on meaning. This allows us to read in an exploratory and low-pressure way. 📕 Upcoming Plays📕 Fall 2023 Pericles (October) King John (November) Opening Scenes Variety Show (December) Timon of Athens OR Titus Andronicus (January) Reading Schedule The reading schedule is an estimate and may evolve with the interests of the learners and the pacing of discussion in class. This will be updated to reflect our current reading schedule. Week of October 9 - Pericles, Reading from Acts 1 & 2 Week of October 16 - Pericles, Reading from Acts 2 & 3 Week of October 23 - Pericles, Reading from Acts 3 & 4 Week of October 30 - Pericles, Reading from Acts 4 & 5 Week of November 6 - King John, Reading from Acts 1 & 2 Week of November 13 - King John, Reading from Acts 2 & 3 Week of November 20 - King John, Reading from Acts 3 & 4 Week of November 27 - King John, Reading from Acts 4 & 5 Experience Level: Students attending should have a high school reading level and an interest in Shakespeare, acting, and/or literature. Since this is focused on cold reading, it is appropriate for all skill levels and experience. Students excited to dive in, read, and listen will enjoy this class the most. Expectations: Since we will be reading scenes aloud I require students to keep their cameras and mics on. Learners should be in a quiet environment during the duration of the class as a courtesy to everyone present.
Learning Goals
My hope is that every student that takes this class will leave more comfortable with Shakespeare’s language, with better cold reading skills, and with a desire to experience more of Shakespeare’s work.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Some of Shakespeare’s plays deal with mature and challenging topics. When dealing with problematic aspects of Shakespeare’s plays, I like to discuss the historical context as well as talk about ways modern performers and acting companies are grappling with and challenging these concepts in contemporary productions. We will discuss how we can approach the texts as actors of our time, how to make choices that reflect our values and discuss ways a contemporary company might adapt the play for a modern audience. Please refer to the class schedule for which play(s) we will be reading scenes from each week.
Supply List
I highly recommend headphones or earbuds with a mic for this class. I will provide links each week to the scenes we will be reading. If students would prefer a hard copy we will be reading from the Folger version.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will be reading from the Folger Shakespeare Digital Texts which are freely available online at shakespeare.folger.edu.
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University
Bachelor's Degree in English from California State University San Marcos
I have extensive experience performing and directing Shakespeare plays. I have directed productions with mixed groups of middle school and high school students ages 12 and up and it is always great fun. I think that theatrical readings are a great way for students to explore a variety of roles in a pressure-free environment.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$12
weekly1x per week
60 min
Completed by 10 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
4-8 learners per class