Teaching Shakespeare: New Approaches From The Folger Shakespeare Library

Based on the activities of 40 secondary and middle school teachers who participated in the Folger Shakespeare Library's summer teaching program, Teaching Shakespeare is a marvelous update on new ways to approach the Bard. While respecting Shakespeare's language, educator's have long realized that it presents a barrier to the modern student. Two methods of overcoming this hurdle are paraphrasing (in other words, having students translate scenes into their own language), and in-class acting (since the plays were meant to be seen, not read, and body language explains much of the text). In addition to the teachers working through actual scenes (notably, the opening of Much Ado About Nothing and the infamous wooing scene in Richard III), viewers are also given a quick tour of Elizabethan times (garbage tossed out the window, ale-drinking at the plays, you know--the good stuff), introduced to the Folger Library holdings, and serenaded by the Folger Consort with a little R & R music (Rarely heard & Renaissance). On this last, we may be a little prejudiced, since we'll take Praetorius over Madonna any day of the week. Once again, Marjory and Robert Potts have taken a fascinating subject, and made it more so. Winner of a Gold Apple Award in Teacher Education at the 1987 National Educational Film & Video Festival. Highly recommended for school and larger public libraries. (Available from: Vineyard Video Productions, Elias Lane, West Tisbury, MA 02575).