a workshop approach to:
Shakespeare's Comedies
Edited by Ken Watson
Each book in this series, written by a range of experienced teachers, contains five of the most popular plays in each category.
Much Ado About Nothing
Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Twelfth Night
As You Like It
There is a wide range of activities for each play providing abundant opportunities for activities which allow students to work towards a thorough understanding of the plays as theatre and literature, towards a range of interpretations of the plays and to explore ways in which a script can be transformed into a stage play.
Most plays include activities dealing with
Ø Introduction to the play
Ø language
Ø staging and performance
Ø character
Ø plot
Ø themes and issues
Ø dramatic structure
The comedies selected are more suited to senior secondary students, but can be used with middle secondary.
In addition to the five plays there is a separate section on staging Shakespeare's plays.
All activities are photocopiable.
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click here for sample pages of Shakespeare's Comedies
see also
A Workshop Approach to Shakespeare's Histories
A Workshop Approach to Introducing Shakespeare
A Workshop Approach to Shakespeare’s Tragedies
individual Shakespeare Workshop titles
Selection of contents
Twelfth Night
Preface to Revised Edition
1 Improvisations Introduction to the play
2 Getting Used to the Language: 1 Language
3 Love, Love, Love Exploration of themes
4 Curtain Up! Staging scenes
5 Your Shakespeare Journal Charting personal response
6 Getting Used to the Language: 2 Tone, emphasis, meaning
7 Two Households Setting, Atmosphere
8 Love, Music, the Sea Thematic elements
9 Getting Used to the Language: 3 Cloze activity
10 Their Innermost Thoughts Exploration of character
11 Shortened Versions Play construction
12 Blocking Key Scenes Staging
13 The Nature of Women - And of Men Thematic elements
14 Disguise Thematic elements; character
15 Focus on the Fool Dramatic relationships
16 Film Versions Storyboarding
17 A Question of Dress Costume design
18 Comedy Staging the play
19 Excess Thematic elements
20 Gender Games Thematic elements
21 Tableaux Visual representation
22 Gender, Hierarchy and Power Changing perspectives
23 Twelfth Night - The Armfield Film One director's view of the play
24 Charles Lamb on a Great Malvolio Interpretation of character
25 A Note on Trevor Nunn's Film
of Twelfth Night (1996)
Much Ado about Nothing
Introduction
1 Much Writing About Much Ado Journal writing
2 "If thou dost love ..." Thematic exploration
3 Parallels Character exploration
4 Two Sets of "Lovers": A First Look Seeing beyond words
5 Soliloquies Dramatic technique
6 Song & Dance...or Strictly Ballroom Dramatic effects
7 Scene: Messina Exploring setting
8 "How tartly that gentleman looks"
- Don John the Bastard Views of Don John
9 Two Sets of Lovers: A Second Look Character relationships
10 "...the most senseless and fit man
for the constable of the watch" Comic characters
11 "This can be no trick..." Tricks and treachery
12 Too Much Much Ado? Changing the script
13 "Let me not to the marriage
of true minds..." Attitudes to marriage
14 "Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme" Language
15 Before and After Theatrical "business"
16 The Dynamic Duo
Beatrice and Benedick Character relationships
1 7 Wit vs Slapstick Humour
18 Kill Claudio! Developing dramatic tension
19 From Stage to TV Adaptation
20 From Page to Cinema: Branagh's Much Ado
20 Hot Seat(s) Role playing
Taming of The Shrew
Introduction
1. Getting Used to the Language: 1 Tone/Improvisation
2. Improvisations Plot/Theme
3. Getting Used to the Language: 2 Sequencing/Cloze
4. Getting Used to the Language: 3 Tone/Emphasis
5. Enter Katherina Plot/Character/Costuming
6. Enter Petruchio Staging/Character
7. The Missing Scene Writing/Character
8. Marriage Market, or Romantic Love? Theme
9. The Taming Plot/Character
10. The Induction Scenes: 1 Play Construction/Staging
11. Staging a Scene Blocking Plans
12. Collage Themes/Imagery
13. The Obedience Speech Character/Ideology
14. Storyboard Filming
15. Film and Television Interpretations
16. The Induction Scenes: 2 Staging/Writing
17. A Famous Production Interpretation of Play
18. Revision 1 - Freeze Frames Plot and Relationships
19 Revision 2 - Hot Seat Character
20 A Range of Opinions Discussion