For Teachers

Active, exploratory, problem-solving techniques for educators:

HVSF Education believes that the greatest learning experience we can provide is one that invites students to approach the plays as actors do: as a company of artists that uses active, exploratory, problem-solving techniques to develop a greater understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare’s stories, characters and language. As teaching artists, we seek out ways to make language absolutely essential to this performative process, so that finding one’s voice in the lines of Shakespeare is exciting and rewarding for students as well as challenging. We encourage different interpretations; we examine the contrasting visions and perspectives of the characters. We are communal in practice. We make space for presentation and listening as well as reflection, seeking all the while to be inclusive.

These basic principles are the basis of all of our educational activities, and they focus the work of HVSF’s education team on action. These principles establish the collaborative nature of our workshops and residencies. Our overarching goal is to transform the classroom into a rehearsal room, where playfulness and collaboration characterize the learning process. Our basic educational principles rise directly out of the organizational core mission of accessibility, and they are inspired by our mission to pursue the connection between the imagination of the audience and the virtuosity of the actor, inspired by the language of the text.

Join us for our Teachers’ Shakespeare Institute or a Resource Workshop and reinvigorate your own pedagogy!