Takes on Shakes
New Perspectives on Old Plays
Takes on Shakes is a bold new video series exploring iconic scenes from Shakespeare. It's designed to help educators with distance learning. The series challenges assumptions about Shakespearean performance and interpretation. Our diverse team of actors, directors, and Teaching Artists bring their personal perspectives to each episode, and empower kids with the idea that there's no "right way" to perform or appreciate Shakespeare.
Each episode offers fresh, often unexpected 'takes' on famous scenes that interrogate complex, thorny, and sometimes controversial topics in Shakespeare’s canon. In between 'takes', actors and directors explain how creative decisions can have profound effects on how audiences perceive and interpret the play. Included with each episode are curriculum materials that provide educators with detailed content relating to the themes and language of the featured play, as well as discussion questions and activities to enhance student engagement.
The first episode, directed by Chris Steele, imagines the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet as we assume it should be played, followed by 'takes' based on gender norms in the 16th, 19th, and 21st centuries.
The second episode, directed by Akaina Ghosh, explores issues of consent and personal agency in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, addressing how directors' and actors' choices can affect how we experience the comedy in the play.
For a more in-depth LIVE experience, we recommend pairing them with our Playshops - hour-long interactive classes.
Bring this exciting new educational tool to your school or organization for only $99 per school! Get both titles and save $$; Romeo and Juliet plus A Midsummer Night's Dream for only $149! Send your request now and enrich your students with fresh perspectives on these classic plays!
Cost:
1 video lesson- $99
2 video lessons- $149
Sliding scale pricing
for families and individuals only:
2-weeks of on-demand access for $10-$35 per title!
Click here for an Explanation of Pricing