The Shakespeare Theatre Company

Shakespeare Theatre Company Artists in the Classroom

Don’t just read it, Perform it!

Artists in the Classroom residencies use theatre techniques to actively engage students in an exploration of Shakespeare plays. Students will analyze Shakespeare’s language, relate to the stories and create characters with their bodies, voices and imaginations. Through these interactive workshops your students will develop confidence, learn to collaborate as an ensemble and strengthen communication skills. All residencies are designed to deepen curriculum goals, examine Shakespeare texts and introduce students to the process of creating theatre.

Artists in the Classroom residencies are taught by experienced teaching artists, many of whom are professional actors. These residencies are fee-based and can range in length. It is important to us that this program is accessible to your students, therefore we work with you to provide high caliber programming within your budget.

While working collaboratively to address the specific needs of each classroom, we have created excellent models over the past 25 years that you can take advantage of. Here is a list of possible residencies that can be adapted for your school or classroom.
For more information about, please contact Vanessa Hope, STC’s School Programs Manager, at or call the Education Hotline 202.547.5688.

Workshop Descriptions:

Shakespeare’s World: Discover the world of Elizabethan England through improvisation. Learn about Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and discover how to create characters with your bodies, voices and imagination. The workshop culminates with students performing historic characters.

Acting Shakespeare: Explore Shakespeare’s language, improvisation and classical acting techniques. Students practice making bold, expressive acting choices and interpreting Shakespeare’s text.

Shakespeare’s Text: Investigate how Shakespeare directs actors through the structure and rhythm of his text. Examine the differences between verse and prose, and consider when Shakespeare chooses to write in each form. Explore iambic pentameter and paraphrasing and learn a process for analyzing Shakespeare’s text.

Stage Combat: Discover how choreographed violence tells a story and reveals character. Students will explore the fundamentals of unarmed stage combat including safe partnering, eye contact and distance. They will also learn several unarmed techniques including hair pulls, slaps, knaps, punches, and falls – all for the stage, of course! (or something similarly light-hearted)

Introduction to a Shakespeare play of your choosing: Explore the plot and characters of the play students are studying. Students will create characters based on information in the text and explore storytelling through creative tableaus. The workshop culminates with students acting out the plot of the play.

Residency Descriptions

Shakespeare’s Stories (Grades 3-5) Explore the plot, themes and characters in a Shakespeare play with a focus on the playwright’s story and the craft of theatrical story telling. Students will engage in improvisations, tableau exercises and character creation. The residency culminates with student created scenes based on the plot of Shakespeare’s plays or a class written story book.

Shakespeare’s Themes (Grades 3-5) Examine the difference between plot and theme and gain a deeper understanding of major themes throughout the canon of Shakespeare’s work. Students will explore the plots and language of two or three Shakespeare plays. The residency culminates with students performing Shakespeare scenes with a common theme. Past themes have included Magic, Clowns, Forest, Shipwrecks, Heros, Villains and Family Feuds.

Playing Shakespeare (Grades 6-8) Investigate Shakespeare’s language, improvisation and acting techniques. Students learn to make bold, expressive acting choices and interpret Shakespeare’s text. The curriculum will be designed using scenes and characters from the Shakespeare play the class is studying.

Shakespeare’s Language (Grades 9-12) Discover how Shakespeare directs the actor through the structure and rhythm of the verse. Students engage in thorough text analysis examining the differences between verse and prose and why Shakespeare writes in each form. They also investigate iambic pentameter, paraphrasing and identify operative words.

Acting Shakespeare (Grades 9-12) Learn classical acting techniques and how an actor approaches Shakespeare’s text. Students explore acting techniques designed to find freedom and expression with Shakespeare’s text and perform scenes.

Artist in the Classroom Partnerships Include:

Holy Trinity School’s semester-long after-school residency culminates with a performance of a Shakespeare play on Grandparents’ Day.
Montgomery County students participate in Playing Shakespeare residences with 7th graders studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 8th graders studying As You Like It at:

Eastern Middle School
Herbert Hoover Middle School
North Bethesda Middle School
Silver Spring International Middle School
Thomas Pyle Middle School

Anne Arundel County partners with us to provide four-week Acting Shakespeare residencies to theatre classes in 11 high schools.