Hull Shakespeare Workshop Initiative

Hull Shakespeare run two different strands of educational theatre-making workshops.

Strand 1: Research and Development -University level and above

Partnered with the University of Hull, Hull Shakespeare ran two days of workshops for students which involved explorations of the play texts including Shakespeare's Othello, Thomas Shadwell's The Libertine and Jake A Smith's More, or the Art of Revenge and an investigation into methods for adaptation. The participants explored the purpose of a prologue in various eras of playwriting. This led to an improvised performance of an amended version of the prologue from More, or the Art of Revenge. ​

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A key element derived from these workshops was the exploration of language and poetry in Shakespeare, particularly the balance that must be struck when adapting his works between the modern language and the antiquated text.

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Strand 2: Approaching Shakespeare in Performance - Key Stage 2 and above

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A series of workshops designed for students with varying levels of understanding of and enthusiasm for the works of Shakespeare.

Scenes from Shakespeare texts are reduced down to a set of bullet points and character names swapped out for numbers. Students in small groups are then tasked with staging the scene, to present to the rest of the classroom. From Beatrice and Benedick’s confessions of love from Much Ado About Nothing set in a college corridor to Mercutio’s death from Romeo and Juliet performed as a game of Mario Cart, students exercise creative freedom whilst developing their understanding of key Shakespeare plot points and themes.

These workshops encourage students to approach performing Shakespeare in new and innovative ways, and students often leave the classroom with a newfound enthusiasm and appreciation of Shakespeare’s work, and feel a great sense of accomplishment from performing a version of a play which they may have felt too afraid to approach beforehand.