Shakespeare Prevents Violence??

Published by austin on

Amanda Giguere is the director of outreach for Colorado Shakespeare Festival and her research and work putting together touring productions of Shakespeare in schools has resulted in her new book Shakespeare & Violence Prevention. Amanda discusses how valuable this work is and how it began; addresses the counter-intuitive notion that Shakespeare – the author of such violent plays – can be so useful in this kind of work; how Twelfth Night is a perfect tool, even for elementary school students, and why Titus Andronicus really isn’t; the importance of climate awareness; the vital distinction that it’s not the “Shakespeare Prevention Program,” it’s the “Violence Prevention Through Shakespeare Program;” and how violence, like heart disease, is preventable. (Length 20:44)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:44 — 23.8MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS | More

Categories: Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast
Tags:

Related Posts

PC Peter Pan

Author James Finn Garner (Politically Correct Bedtime Stories) returns to discuss his latest satire, Politically Correct Peter Pan, and the difficulties of staying ahead of contemporary sensibilities. Garner reveals how his background as an actor informs his writing; how he gets to do what he loves; how he prefers editing what he's written to actually writing; the fun of playing in sandboxes other authors have created; the opportunities of his glorious Substack; and finally, the phenomenon of "Pansplaining." (Cover art by Lia Garner.) (Length 21:24)

Joys Of Touring

What happens when you’re a five-person theatre company whose stage manager is too sick to fly and the shipping company won’t deliver your props and costumes? Reed Martin explains what happened last month when those hiccups affected our performances of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) in Oregon and Washington. It’s a tale of improvisation; scrambling and calling on reserves; promoting from within; early mornings and late nights; the beauty of muscle memory; all hands being on deck all across the country; getting the chance to admire beautiful scenery; not panicking; the show going on; and the whole thing turning into a Christmas (ultimate) miracle. (Length 19:47)

Play(s), Not Work(s)

Mary Hartman, the director of education at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada, shares her philosophy for Shakespeare education and its emphasis on play. Mary reveals why threads is a better term than themes; how Shakespeare’s plays should not be poetry readings; how she's developed the Discovery Zone, an extensive free resource for both students and educators; and how so much of Shakespeare’s power is not just in his words, but in the relationship of actors to each other and to the audience. NOTE: This conversation was recorded the night before we learned Tina Packer, the Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts and an acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher, died at the age of 87. Tina was a mentor to generations of artists, scholars, and educators, including Mary, and so this conversation is an unintentionally timely tribute to and celebration of the legacy of Tina Packer. (Length 19:30)