The Young Shakespeare Company have been delighting St John's pupils for many years with their interactive and energetic workshops at school and the current lockdown did not deter any enthusiasm for the virtual workshops Forms 4 and 5 took part in. One company actor brought 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', one of Shakespeare's most enchanting comic tales, to life via Zoom with a fast-moving workshop which included active involvement for all the children.
Through the use of animated facial expressions and different voices, the actor was able to introduce the children to the main summary of the play: Four lovers, having an argument in the Athenian woods at midnight, are confused by Oberon, Titania and a band of fairies and sprites who are only trying to help. Throw in some magic, a custody battle over a little boy and an amateur actor who unsuspectingly becomes the fairy queen's love interest thanks to the meddling mischief of Puck.
The children were introduced to Shakespearean language with important scenes and lines from the play and all had the opportunity to become one of the roles with individuals playing key characters who were encouraged to repeat short lines, phrases and act out snippets as each scene progressed. The children also had the chance to perform as a whole group with key lines which were repeated as a chorus with great effect. Mrs Elaine Atkin, Head of English, commented, 'The children quickly picked up on the main plot and were keen to act, use mime and facial expressions over Zoom which was highly effective when they were all doing the same actions.' When the children come back to school on 8 March they will take part in various follow-up work in the last few weeks of term as an extension of the Young Shakespeare Company's virtual workshops.
One Form 4 enthused, 'I enjoyed the fact that the workshop was so interactive, which can sometimes be hard when it is a virtual session. I was really pleased to have been chosen to play the role of Duke Theseus as there were only a handful of main parts. It was a fun way to understand the plot and I felt very involved in the storyline. It was such an interesting experience. The following day, Form 4 designed their own version of invitations for Duke Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding in Athens with the children encouraged to think about the formality of the language, wording and design elements.
For more information: Young Shakespeare Company