Bard is a class act in Ohio venture
The Royal Shakespeare Company has formed a partnership with an American university in a bid to keep the Bard alive in the classroom.
The company has linked up with Ohio State University to broaden the horizons of students with its Stand Up for Shakespeare manifesto.
Instead of learning famous lines in silence or by rote, students are encouraged to read the dialogue as they wander around the classroom, as actors do, to help them connect with the plays and their characters more closely.
Michael Boyd, RSC artistic director, said: “I know this partnership will enrich the RSC’s already successful education programme.
“We look forward to sharing our deep commitment to inspiring and engaging students of all backgrounds and abilities in the work of our house playwright and learning from the innovative practices at The Ohio State University.”
One of the partnership’s main features will be a three-year teacher education programme which aims to enrich Ohio public school teachers’ ability to teach Shakespeare effectively to children at various grade levels, and is expected to begin next summer.
