Because we believe that seeing Shakepeare as drama is vital to a real understanding of any of his plays, we use an approach which looks at the dramatic possibilities of key scenes. We work with the students on two or three chosen scenes, getting them to understand the characters' motivations, and what has brought them to that point, and how the action of the scene affects the rest of the play.
Using a variety of active approaches, some scripted and some unscripted, we help the students engage enthusiastically with the text as drama.
Our technique is similar with all levels of students. We achieve differentiation through a variety of means:
choice of material - older and more able students work on longer extracts with more complex themes and language;
style of looking at the text - higher level approaches include more advanced concepts in theatre and literary language;
outcome - for example, a tableau for younger students might be a representation of part of the action, whereas for older ones an abstract form might be encouraged.
GCSE English
Often professional insights can raise the motivation of GCSE students, as well as their understanding of dramatic form. Denis has a track record of working on an "in residence" capacity with GCSE students who are in the process of producing their own work.
