WHAT IS A THEATRE-BASED APPROACH?
Key benefits of a theatre-based approach to the teaching of Shakespeare
Better memory and understanding
A kinaesthetic approach where students gain a three-dimensional view of the play considerably assists memory and understanding - useful for those Shakespeare plays with complex plots and a large number of characters.
"It has made me understand more because I could be in it and feel what it was like to be part of the play."
"If we were to act it out, then if I was in an exam and I saw a question I'd remember the scene I was in, I'd remember the people I was with. So in that sense if I acted it out it'd be much better rather than looking at my highlighted words."
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 9 lower ability boys: behaviour management and developing 'the understanding heart' »
Deeper investment and engagement in the text
Students engage with the text actively - emotionally as well as intellectually. Because they have embodied a role and experienced how a character feels their responses are likely to be far deeper.
"...across a range of subjects, it is evident that higher achievement is associated with active forms of learning."
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 10 higher level: Challenging a top set »
Increased confidence and self-esteem
An approach with no set right or wrong answers can be very liberating for young people. It encourages them to trust the authority of their own judgements and raises their self-esteem.
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 9: The experiences of two NQTs »
Relevance to their own lives and experiences
This work calls for students to take on characters and identify with situations, helping them to see the plays' dilemmas as real and connected to their own lives rather than 'old' and distant. Students are actively encouraged to interpret the plays for themselves giving them more ownership of the text.
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 10 lower ability: Getting them thinking »
Greater understanding of the language
Physical engagement allows today's students to access heightened language, without the need for lengthy translations or annotations.
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 8 lower ability: Improving reading attainments »
Differentiation
At the RSC, our starting point is the needs, interests and abilities of each group of young people. Because theatre-based approaches cater for all learning styles, and because they are so easily adaptable, we can use these approaches both to:
- Provide simple, accessible ways into a Shakespeare play, as we do when working with young people with special educational needs
- Stretch the most gifted of our young people, through deeper engagement with the text, as we do each year as part of the NAGTY Summer School.
Raises teacher and pupil expectation
Work which puts students in new environments can allow a teacher to see a different side of students and bring unexpected results.
"You see a different side to them. One student who is a reluctant learner participated enthusiastically and another who was initially visibly shy and uncomfortable, with low self-esteem, started to join in and played a full part."
Teachers regularly comment on improvements in these areas as a result of active Shakespeare projects in school. One RSC workshop leader recalls a typical example in a tough school where aspirations were low. After practical work on As You Like It a Year 6 student ran out calling:
"Mum, we're doing Shakespeare and it's great!"
Students' self-esteem and pride in their work is boosted by their theatre-based achievement
"Lots of people have done the play for 400 years but no one's done it quite like us!"
Students also express improvements in their overall attitudes to work and school life.
For example: Primary school case study:
Year 3/4: Developing empathy - using Hamlet with Year 3/4 »
Time efficient
Despite some concerns that setting up theatre-based approaches is very time-consuming, these practices are actually very time efficient. Actively exploring Shakespeare's texts facilitates a fast, and long-lasting, understanding of his plays, of the action, of characters' feelings, of the dynamic between characters. 'Doing' engages more senses, making the activity more memorable. Many teachers tell us that, come revision time, students' recall is significantly better when they've had an active engagement with the text.
Personalised learning
The central concept of this work is personal connection, exploring, developing and crediting personal responses. Furthermore, theatre-based approaches support the full range of learning styles.
Renewed enjoyment and confidence in learning
Given the opportunity for theatre-based experience teachers repeatedly comment on the way they feel re-energised in their approach to Shakespeare. Theatre is fun. It's playing, and young people inherently understand about learning through play. Fun is also a huge motivator when you're trying to grapple with texts which can be highly challenging.
"A great day - inspiring and exhausting! It actually makes me more excited than ever about Shakespeare's craft and I feel I'll be able to carry that over to students!"
For example, Secondary school case study:
Year 9 middle ability: Instilling confidence and enthusiasm for Shakespeare and accidentally creating an ensemble! »
Improvements in literacy
Students often express a genuinely positive response to speaking Shakespeare's language. For example, a group of 10 year-olds, working recently on an RSC project, said:
"We want to perform using Shakespeare's language - it's so romantic and says what we think better than we could say it."
Equally, another group commented:
"One week we knew nothing and the next we'd learned all this difficult language and could say it."
For example, Primary school case study:
Year 5/6: Improving writing skills with an inner city multi-ethnic, predominantly EAL group »
Inclusion
Theatre-based approaches encourage the active participation of all pupils, regardless of age, background or ability. These approaches offer excellent opportunities for all students to feel included by:
- Seeing the relevance of Shakespeare to their own experiences and aspirations
- Giving them opportunities to demonstrate understanding through doing, and then reflecting through discussion what they've learned.
