To Be or Not To Be Performing Shakespeare in Melbourne? Have you ever heard Shakespearean verse spoken in an Australian accent? Albeit, to our American ears, the Australian cadence may sound similar to the British timbre. However, it’s quite different. In fact, some may argue that the Australian modulation, like the American tone, sounds more akin to the original pronunciation, OP, in Shakespeare’s time than modern British elocution. Now, listen for yourself: Ben Crystal performing in OP.
Funny thing is, however, many of the young players we met in Australia had never performed Shakespeare before. And yet, it sounds so natural, so “trippingly on the tongue.” Admittedly, it may have had something to do with the fact that we felt truly authentic. Honestly, it’s hard not to feel Shakespearean when you’re attending a medieval camp at Kryal Castle with players in authentic garb. Which now brings us to the question: To be or not to be performing Shakespeare in Melbourne?
[the_ad id=”4426″]
AY, THERE’S THE RUB
After India, I was riding high. Especially since we seemed to have plenty of lead time. By and large, reality slapped me in the face. To elaborate, I was coming up empty trying to find young performers at our next stops, Singapore, and then, Australia. Fortunately, I managed to touch base with the Singapore Drama Educators Association, SDEA, and hope we can work together in the future. Also, I lucked upon interviews with two renowned Shakespeare companies in Sydney. Accordingly, see their interviews below. Unfortunately, our timing was such that they were not able to gather students to participate.
[the_ad id=”4426″]
PERCHANCE TO DREAM
To that end, I soon feared that we were on a downward spiral, and the filming of our scenes was kaput. By happenchance, I reached out to the homeschool community in Australia. Important to realize, is that homeschooling is a foreign idea in most other countries. Consequently, it’s not as common as it is in the US. Additionally, it’s a challenge to connect nowadays. In the past, one could go to a website and hit the ‘Contact Us’ button. Presently, most interactions happen on social media. Of course, these are often run by volunteers who must confirm your identity before you are accepted to a group on Facebook. In a word, this is arduous when you’re just visiting the area.
Happily, despite the obstacles, we eventually managed to connect with a welcoming homeschool group in Melbourne. And, it just so happened that there was a medieval camp the week we were there. Similar to our beloved Sherwood Forest Faire, we were excited to attend the camp and meet other Ren Faire fans. Subsequently, we were able to gather a group of excited, interested, and willing players for the Global Hamlet project.
[the_ad id=”4426″]
GLOBAL HAMLET EPISODE 9.1: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Before embarking on this adventure, I had several concerns. Firstly, would my games, including activities appeal to Kids from different cultures? Secondly, what about this issue of death? Did young people everywhere relate to the drama of death and dying? Finally, humor is very localized. Shakespeare is never more fun than when we’re laughing. Thus, would we find the same things humorous?
Therefore, I expressed my concerns to a friend who taught young people in several different countries. Immediately, she looked at me, then said, “Kids are the same everywhere.”
Truthfully, I’m not sure if they’re the same everywhere. But, everyone seems to enjoy the Everybody Dies game. Whereas this video doesn’t contain the description for said activity, you can, however, see everybody die.
[the_ad id=”4426″]
GLOBAL HAMLET EPISODE 9.2: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Now, speaking of jocularity… we couldn’t stop laughing during this shoot. To begin with, it drizzled off and on. So, we busied ourselves with keeping the camera dry. Moreover, Camera Girl took a giant leap-fall off the edge of the graveyard. Luckily, she didn’t take the camera with her. And thankfully, she didn’t hurt herself. But it was pretty funny.
Meanwhile, there were these loud, obnoxious birds affecting our sound. Plus, random kids kept on running through our shot. Finally, the scene calls for something of a somber mood. Hamlet is talking about death, right? In truth, that’s likely what did us in. You try maintaining a straight face while all of the above is happening.
Moreover, we were audacious. In other words, after selecting the most famous Shakespeare speech IN THE WORLD, we then divided it between multiple players. We conducted ourselves as if Hamlet’s innermost thoughts had come alive! Gasp! My goodness. What will we think of next?
[the_ad id=”4426″]
GLOBAL HAMLET EPISODE 9.3: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
This is a two-for-one game section. First up, Christopher Tomkinson from Sport for Jove Theatre Co. He answers, “Why, Shakespeare?” Then, he elaborates on the Shakespearean Insult Generator Game. Finally, he guides us on how to layer on experiences with Shakespeare verse.
GLOBAL HAMLET EPISODE 9.4: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Next, we scored an interview with Joanna Erskine and Huw McKinnon at Bell Shakespeare. Together, they taught us about an exercise called Shakespeare’s Image Garden.
| Type: | Theatre Game |
|---|---|
| Purpose: | To activate, including physicalize, the ideas and themes in a Shakespeare play, a scene, or a single monologue or soliloquy. |
| Preparation: | Decide upon 8 or 9 images that represent major themes or ideas in the piece. In this case, we will use Hamlet as an example. Some images are: Time, God, Religion, Corruption, Women, Greek Mythology… |
| Procedure: | To begin, get 8-10 players on their feet. Tell them to imagine that they’re in a sculpture garden in Hamlet’s mind. In groups of 1-3, have them create a sculpture based on one of the 8 or 9 images you prepared in advance. Now, one player reads Hamlet’s monologue. And anytime she mentions something that is related to one of the images/themes, she needs to be standing next to the sculpture. Then she touches the sculpture and the sculpture comes to life. |
The audience helps by making sure Hamlet is in the right place. | |
| Side Coach: | First, “Use your imagination when physicalizing the imagery.” Next, “Work together or individually.” Last, “Move, Hamlet, move!” |
| Notes: | Follow up with discussion: where did Hamlet spend most of his time? Why? You can do this with any character, as almost all soliloquies are filled with this imagery. |
[the_ad id=”4426″]
WHERE TO NEXT?
Down Under no more. After Australia, we make our way north across the planet to Utrecht, Holland. In the next Episode of Global Hamlet, we connect with old friends, as well as new ones in the Netherlands.
MARCH-APRIL 2019 SHAKESPEARE IN MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Enjoy our Gallery of photographs below, from To Be or Not to Be; Performed in Melbourne.
[the_ad id=”4426″]
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.
[the_ad id=”4426″]
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. And still, 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.
