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Creative Activity Ideas Contents 1
Teachers Overview
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Pre-show Activity Ideas: Character List William Shakespeare and his World
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Post-show Activity Ideas Discussion Points Art Storybard Picture It Spoken Word Leading with... Hot Seating
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Playful Stuff Crossword Word Search Word Match-up Shakespeare Word Cloud
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Supporting Information Elizabeth I Life in Elizabethan England James I
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Teachers Overview We hope you find this Tool Box a useful addition to your explorations of Shakespeare and his plays. If you have any feedback, or need any further information, please feel free to contact Louise Flooks, Participation Coordinator at Unity Theatre: louiseflooks@unitytheatre.co.uk
Bardolph’s Box – The performance Somewhere in the middle of the ocean an island is in trouble. Three Weird Sisters have planted a curse on Duke Angelo, turning him from nice to nasty in an instant. The island is thrown into turmoil… Our hero, Bardolph, finds himself washed up on this distant shore, after his ship is wrecked in a storm… But his adventure has only just begun! Only Bardolph can save the island from the tyrannical Duke, once he’s worked out how… Throughout the production Bardolph encounters a number of Shakespeare’s characters. Some need a helping hand, some a listening ear, some are just happy to chat. All their problems or scenarios are taken from the plays in which they feature. Bardolph’s Box is written using extracts from Shakespeare’s plays which are seamlessly woven together with pieces of new writing to tell the tale of Bardolph. The production runs for approximately 40-45 minutes. Bardolph’s Box is a small-scale touring production; there are no stage lights, no prerecorded sound or projections. For more information contact Artistic Director Nicola Pollard: Nicola@uptheroadtheatre.co.uk
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1 Pre-show Activity Ideas & Information Character List Our production is designed to be an introduction to Shakespeare’s plays, our starting point is to assume our audience have read no Shakespeare, nor seen any of his plays performed. Below is a list of the characters you will meet in the production and the plays that they appear in. The Weird Sisters Otherwise known as The Witches, this troublesome trio hail from Macbeth Duke Angelo Inspired by Angelo in Measure for Measure, our Duke also has a touch of Richard III and Macbeth Ariel The spirit of the isle, borrowed from The Tempest Prospero Ariel’s master, a man with magical powers living on the island Puck The mischievous fairy from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Cleopatra The feisty Queen of Egypt, as she appears in Antony and Cleopatra Launce and Crab A servant and his dog, as featured in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of Shakespeare’s very first plays Prince Hal AKA Prince Harry, as he is in Henry IV Part I; son to King Henry IV and the future Henry V Capulets and Montagues Fighting figures from the rival houses in Romeo and Juliet 4
Dromio of Syracuse In our play, this servant to Antipholus of Syracuse is separated from his twin sister, our mix of The Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night Dromio of Ephesus In our play she is sister to Dromio of Syracuse, dressed as a boy to serve her master, Antipholus of Ephesus (brother to Antipholus of Syracuse) Rosalind The heroine of As You Like It, in the forest disguised as a boy, hopelessly in love with Orlando Orlando Busy writing love poems for Rosalind and scattering them through the forest The Nurse From Romeo and Juliet, a kind, caring soul with a lot of life Valentine A hapless lover from The Two Gentlemen of Verona, with a plot to steal his love, Silvia, from her father, Duke Angelo
There is also, of course, Bardolph’s Box. But you’ll have to wait to see what that does!
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William Shakespeare and his World Use the bullet points below to introduce the playwright and the world he lived in. How might you explore these through writing, art, drama or any other form?
Shakespeare the Man Born 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire Died 1616 – making this year the 400th anniversary of his death It is rumoured he died on his birthday – but we don’t actually know what exact day he was born, so it’s all supposition! He wrote 37 plays in his lifetime, 154 sonnets and a number of other poems Shakespeare’s father was a glove maker William had 7 brothers and sisters, two of whom died in infancy William married Anne Hathaway, when he was 18 and she was 26. They had 3 children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was aged 11
Shakespeare’s Career William spent most of his life in London, during the reign of Elizabethan I (from 1558) and then James I (from 1603) William worked as an actor then a playwright, possibly also acting in his own plays The life of an actor was hard, they depended on successful plays to earn a living His plays are usually referred to as comedies, tragedies or histories. Some of his later plays are known as romances as they don’t fit the label of tragedy, comedy or history
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His first play is thought to have been The Two Gentlemen of Verona. His final play was probably Henry VIII. The last of his more famous plays was The Tempest, in 1610. One of his most famous works – Hamlet – was written in 1600, pretty much in the middle of his career The majority of William’s plays were performed at outdoor, sunlit Elizabethan theatres, such as The Globe, built in 1599 on the banks of the Thames in London. Performances took place in the afternoons and were important social occasions. Theatre was a prime source of entertainment in Shakespeare’s time These outdoor theatres were circular in shape, with a rectangular stage, a yard encircling the stage and two or three galleries of seating. ‘Groundlings’ paid a penny to stand in the yard, closest to the stage; the wealthier people sat in the galleries above the yard; the very rich sat above the stage, so they could be seen by everyone else! Shakespeare’s later plays were written for indoor theatres, much smaller spaces, lit by candles, more often know as Playhouses After Shakespeare died, all his plays were collected by some of his friends and printed in a book known as the First Folio, in 1623. This is the basis for most subsequent editions of the plays as it is thought to be the most reliable
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2 Post-show Activity Ideas Discussion Points
What happened in the play? Who did we meet? Which characters do your pupils remember and why? Which stories did they enjoy the most and least? Which decision do you think Bardolph should make at the end of the play? How did the actors portray their different roles?
Art Ask your pupils to draw/paint/sculpt:
What they think the island looks like Any character from the show The sea around the island A box inspired by Bardolph’s
Storybard Here is a list of some of the key elements Shakespeare used to create his plays. Using this list as a starting point, encourage your pupils to create a storyboard to come up with their own Shakespeare plot.
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Star-crossed lovers A fool or clown A parent and child A disguised character e.g. a girl dressed as boy Banishment A song A faked death
Picture It Ask your pupils to choose a scene or scenes from Shakespeare’s plays to create a soundscape or a freeze-frame. There are some of our ideas listed below you can use to get started. Ask them to think about the different worlds in which Shakespeare’s plays were set and the backgrounds to the stories that he told. The spooky heath at the start of Macbeth The bustling city of Verona from Romeo and Juliet or The Two Gentlemen of Verona The island of The Tempest The Forest of Arden in As You Like It The palaces in the history plays – Richard II, Richard III or any of the Henry plays
Spoken Word Pick a few simple or well-known quotes from Shakespeare’s plays and use them to encourage pupils to experiment with their voices to create the different characters. Ask them to think about the pitch, tempo, and volume of their voice and what these things say about the character they are playing. Here are some lines you can play with: ‘Out, damn spot, out I say’, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth ‘I shall hereafter, my thrice gracious Lord, be more myself’, Prince Hal, 1 Henry IV ‘Let me play the lion too!’, Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream ‘I have many enemies in Orsino’s court’, Antonio, Twelfth Night ‘I’ll have my bond and therefore speak no more,’ Shylock, The Merchant of Venice
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Leading with... In Bardolph's Box, we have three actors who play more than twenty different characters during the play. In order to change the character they play they will pay attention to the voice they use and also the body language of the character. In theatre this is called the physicality of the character. A good exercise to encourage children to play with physicality is to ask them to think about which body part their character might lead with. For example, a lover like Orlando might lead with his heart. As a group movement game, ask your pupils to move around the room leading with various parts of their bodies; nose, knees, hand, belly for example. Ask them to think about what kind of character might move like that. How might a villain, a fairy or a Queen move for example? What other body parts might some of Shakespeare's characters lead with?
Hot Seating If your pupils are feeling confident with the characters they may wish to try playing them. Have each pupil choose a character from Bardolph's Box or another Shakespearian character they may have studied in class. Pupils can take turns to sit in the hot seat and play that character as the rest of the group asks them questions. For example; they could ask Bardolph “Where are your family?” or “What will you do next?”. The pupils may know the ‘correct’ answers to some of the questions but mostly they will be free to improvise and use their imagination. This is an exercise often used by professional actors to help them create dynamic characters.
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Playful Stuff
Here are some fun activities to get your class thinking about Shakespeare and his plays. Feel free to photocopy them.
Bardolph’s Crossword
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Bardolph’s Word Search
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Bardolph’s Word Match Here is a list of words Shakespeare used that are less common today. Can your pupils match them with the words on the right? Use the spaces beside Shakespeare's words to write in the meaning.
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Shakespeare Word Cloud All of the words and phrases below have been popularised and become part of the English language, having first been heard in a Shakespeare play.
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Supporting Information Elizabeth I William Shakespeare lived during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603). Her parents were King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife whom he had beheaded Shakespeare’s plays were sometimes presented at court for royalty. It is very likely he knew the Queen and her successor, King James I Elizabeth’s largely peaceful reign followed the turbulent times of Henry VIII (her father), Edward VI and Mary I, her siblings. The Elizabethan period is also known as The Golden Age – the country experienced peace and the arts, especially music and painting, flourished During Elizabeth’s reign, Francis Drake completed his voyage around the world (1580), and was knighted by the Queen In 1588 the Spanish Armada (a fleet of Spanish ships) tried to invade England. They were defeated in what is seen as one of the greatest achievements of Elizabethan’s reign and a sign of England’s power at that time Elizabethan never married. Her death ended the House of Tudor dynasty
Life in Elizabethan England Life in Elizabethan England was difficult for many. Personal hygiene, toilets, healthy diets were all in the future. 3000 people would cram into an outdoor theatre – imagine watching a two hour play with a lot of very smelly pushed in people around you! Most people, except the wealthy, didn’t live beyond their 40s Elizabethan society had a strict social structure, with the queen at the top and labourers at the bottom. Men went to work, or got what jobs they could, while women stayed at home to look after the children and the house There was no education for girls, except daughters of the very wealthy who were taught to play instruments or to speak languages or recite poetry. During Shakespeare’s lifetime the bubonic plague swept through the country a number of times, killing thousands of people. During the worst outbreaks, theatres and other public places were shut, to try to avoid spreading the disease. During this time, Shakespeare and his actors would take their performances to villages and more rural towns to carry on earning money 15
James I James ascended the English throne in 1603, aged 37 Already King of Scotland, he united the two countries (and Wales) into Great Britain James firmly believed in Divine Right of Kings – the idea that a ruler was chosen by God and therefore their position could not be challenged One of the most famous events during James’ reign was The Gunpowder Plot in 1605. An unsuccessful plan by Catholics to blow up Parliament led by Guy Fawkes, and the reason we have Bonfire Night In 1589 James married Anne of Denmark, they had 7 children, 3 of whom survived into adulthood The eldest son, Henry, died in 1612. When James died in 1625 he was succeeded by his second eldest son, Charles, who was 25 at the time. He became Charles I, beheaded in 1649 after The English Civil War. Eventually his son, Charles II, returned to rule England, a time that is now known as The Restoration and the next period of great English theatre
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