Is Shakespeare Only for Accomplished Readers?
| by Andee Kinzy |
Is Shakespeare Only for Accomplished Readers? Or, to put it another way, do you have to be able to read well before an introduction to Shakespeare? The simple answer is, NO.
Although she never talks about it, my daughter was not a great reader when she landed the title role of Prospera in ImprovEd Shakespeare’s Tempest. At the time, she was 8 years old. And honestly, the only reason she was cast in that character is because she was the only one who wanted the role. Once the other kids saw how many lines had to be memorized, they all declined to audition for the pivotal position.
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As a fledgling reader, I didn’t think she could do it and told her in less than eloquent terms. However, not only did she prove me wrong, but she also paved the way for future fledgling readers. Although Z made that miraculous jump from a struggling reader to a more confident one, some of our later Shakespeare participants weren’t at that level. However, that didn’t stop them or us.
What we discovered was simple, beautiful, and magical. And your non-reader can do it, too.
Pre-Reading Brain
The pre-reading brain sucks up Shakespeare’s language like a sponge. Seriously. All you need to do is pair a reader with the non-reader. The reader reads one line from Shakespeare at a time, and the non-reader repeats the sequence. In our totally un-researched and unprofessional opinion, we’ve determined that the pre-reading brain finds the rhythm of the language way more quickly than a reader. Do they understand what they’re saying? Usually not. But the words flow out of their mouths like music, anyway.
Because we at ImprovEd Shakespeare like to ham it up, usually the reader gives the lines full of emotional variants and verbal highs and lows. Plus, they often add some sort of physicality. The non-reader takes it all in. Really. You should try it. Check out “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare” by Ken Ludwig for some great sample monologues. Or, join ImprovEd Shakespeare – where Kids play with Shakespeare. Fall enrollment in progress!
It just goes to show… where there’s a Will, there’s a way!
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SHAKESPEARE FOR ALL
Working with Shakespeare in education frightens many. Because Shakespeare experts, including professionals, surround us. Escaping them is difficult. This can be intimidating. Thus, feelings of dread usually accompany the act of presenting, but moreover be introduced to, the Bard.
For this reason, ImprovEd Shakespeare is here to help. Founder and Director, Andee Kinzy, offers the layman’s approach to Shakespeare.
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SHAKESPEARE FOR TEACHERS AND DIRECTORS
If you’re an English teacher, a theatre director, or a well-trained Shakespeare advocate, here you will find inspiration, as well as techniques, for making our favorite bard fun for Kids. Accordingly, we present old, new and improved ideas for introducing Shakespeare to youth for the non-Shakespeare-academic. Among them, we include theatre games, improvisation, tips, tricks, plus activities for using Shakespeare in education.
SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS
Since 2011, ImprovEd Shakespeare has been exploring the Bard with youth through theatrical performance. Our signature scripts are a mix of modern narration plus original Shakespeare verse. With a focus on the story, including an abbreviated script length, our productions entertain all ages. Moreover, our catalog goes beyond the oft-used Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Romeo and Juliet. We’ve discovered that young people find much to their delight among many of Shakespeare’s works. Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel for family-friendly Shakespeare videos.
PERFORMANCES
Each fall and spring, ImprovEd Shakespeare develops a new production for live performance. In honor of the traditional Renaissance traveling troupe, during a period of a few weeks, we present Kid-friendly plays at various venues around town. Our Players, between 3rd-11th grade, gear themselves with playful, as well as engaging interpretations of works by the Bard of Avon. Suitable for all ages, each performance runs for about an hour.
Furthermore, these shows are always FREE. However, we gladly accept Donations! Additionally, visit ImprovEd Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Kids by Kids on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. And don’t forget to click on our BLOG for the stories behind these videos.
