sheffield hallam - News - Sheffield Hallam University | Acting & Performance2024-03-28T23:36:49Zhttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/feed/tag/sheffield+hallamHallam writing talent to be showcased at 30th Off the Shelf Festival of Wordshttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/hallam-writing-talent-to-be-showcased-at-30th-off-the-shelf-festi2021-10-07T11:39:54.000Z2021-10-07T11:39:54.000ZSHU Performancehttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/members/SHUPerformance<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9654062055?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><div class="text-widget"><div class="row"><p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Sheffield Hallam University is set to showcase some of its most successful writers at this year’s Off the Shelf Festival of Words – with an aim to encourage others to get involved with creative writing.</strong></span></p></div></div><div class="text-widget"><div class="row"><div><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">The programme of events, curated by the <a href="https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/academic-departments/humanities">Department of Humanities</a>, will see talented staff and graduates from the University leading talks about their latest works coupled with special masterclass events which will offer budding writers tips for success.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> Novelist, creative writing MA graduate and nominee for the Women’s prize, Cherie Jones, will talk about her new book "<a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/how-the-one-armed-sister-sweeps-her-house-cherie-jones-in-conversation-with-conor-ocallaghan/">How the One-armed Sister Sweeps Her House</a>".</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Set in Barbados, the novel focuses on four people each desperate to escape their legacy of violence in a so-called “paradise”.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Sheffield Poet Laureate, English and History graduate and Women’s Poetry Prize winner in 2020, Warda Yassin, will unveil her new poem, as part of the Text in the City programme which has poems mounted in public places across Sheffield.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> <a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/northern-gravy/">Northern Gravy</a>, a literary magazine set up by three recent graduates from the MA creative writing course, will showcase a new film about how they aim to give courage to those who want to try their hand at writing.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> Senior lecturer in Creative Writing, Conor O’Callaghan, will discuss his highly acclaimed new novel, <a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/sunjeev-sahota-and-conor-ocallaghan-in-conversation-with-harriet-tarlo/">“We Are Not in the World”</a> whilst fellow academic Chris Jones will lead a workshop on how to write poetry.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> For those looking to brush up on grammar, senior lecturer in English Language, Jodie Clark, will also lead a free session on how to embrace grammar in your writing in “<a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/how-to-write-grammar-for-dreamers-dr-jodie-clark/">Grammar for Dreamers</a>”.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> We will also welcome poet, Kim Campanello, who will discuss her haunting poems about mother and baby homes in Ireland, whilst several highly acclaimed poets will also discuss their recent anthology “<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-and-covid-19-tickets-177107702907">Poetry and Covid-19</a>”. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> Visitors to Sheffield Central Library and Millennium Gallery during the festival will also have an unexpected and innovative invitation to read through Short Story Dispensers.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> These are in place all around the world from San Francisco to Melbourne, Paris to Philadelphia and now you can find them in Sheffield. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> The Dispensers offer short stories and poems on different themes and allow readers to select how long they want the story or poem to be.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> Former Mayor of Sheffield City Council and climate and race activist, <a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/disruptive-publishing-magid-magid-in-conversation-with-dr-tom-payne-and-dr-julia-udall/">Magid Magid</a>, will discuss forms of “disruptive” publishing with Dr Tom Payne, senior lecturer in performance studies and Dr Julia Udall, senior lecturer in architecture, about how creative and disruptive acts of publishing might enable critical voices to be heard. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> Hallam students also feature significantly in the programme too, with acting and performance students performing the family-friendly show “Awakenings” in the Crucible Studio and illustration students set to capture the essence of the festival by drawing images from different events that will be published on the Off the Shelf website.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> The 50th anniversary of the building of the iconic Crucible Theatre will also be marked with <a href="https://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/building-the-crucible-edward-george-in-conversation-with-ashley-barnes/">a new podcast</a>, the first two episodes of which will be released as part of the festival.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> <strong>Deputy head of the Department of Humanities, Ashley Barnes, said</strong>: “It is with great pride that we are sharing some of the best creative writing work of our staff and graduates in this year’s festival, as well as encouraging others to take up their pen and to develop their own voice. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> “Our aim is to be the world’s leading applied university so it’s going to be really exciting to hear from our successful graduates and industry-engaged staff. We are proud of our place in the region and our relationships with key cultural institutions, such as Sheffield Theatres.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size:10pt;">Photograph of Magid Magid by Becky Payne.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">For more information about the BA (Hons) Acting and Performance <a href="https://www.shu.ac.uk/courses/film-and-performance/ba-honours-acting-and-performance/full-time" target="_blank">visit our website</a>.</span></p></div></div></div></div>From stage to screen; an active approach towards developing my performing arts career.https://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/james-christian-acting-career2021-09-29T14:38:34.000Z2021-09-29T14:38:34.000ZJames Christianhttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/members/JamesChristian<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9624077455?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9624156857,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9624156857,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9624156857?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="242" /></a>I am James Christian. A twenty-year-old Actor, Musical Theatre Director and Music Media Production Director originating from Nottingham, England with theatre credits spanning across the United Kingdom. These credits include- but are not restricted to: Prince Herbert in Monty Python’s: <em>Spamalot</em>, Terry in Jon Conway’s: <em>Boogie Nights</em>, Fat Sam in Alan Parker’s: <em>Bugsy Malone</em> and Duke Vincentio in Shakespeare’s: <em>Measure for Measure</em> and many more. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">It is noticeable that I have several different forms of theatre within my theatrical credits, spanning from Musical Theatre performances to Shakespearean plays and I aim to continue with this as I progress within the field.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">To kickstart my Performing career, I started Musical Theatre training at the age of eleven. This took place at the leading Academy </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">of the Spencer Academies Trust- George Spencer Academy. This training allowed me to find my feet in terms of many different aspects of Musical The</span><span style="font-size:12pt;">atre: acting, singing and dancing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">As well as this, I have also been an active member of many different Acting and Musical Theatre societies, including Erewash Musical Society, Long Eaton Operatic Society and Nottingham Arts Development Academy (NADA); through these different societies and academies, I have built the confidence and knowledge to work towards a degree within the performing industry.</span></p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9624313497,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9624313497,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9624313497?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="345" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">My directorial debut was in 2017 when I directed a small group of different actors in a music video which screened at the Broadway Cinema, Nottingham to members of the general public. After this music media production directorial experience, I then progressed and directed a full-scale production of <em>‘We Will Rock You’</em> at the same location in which I trained </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">at: George Spencer Academy. This certainly provided me with a platform for future opportunities, using the skills and talents I have previously achieved. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:12pt;">After these eleven years of training, I decided to progress further by completing a BA(Hons) course in Acting and Performance at Sheffield Hallam University. Through this course, I aim to become more established within the Acting industry and increase my knowledge of the Acting field in general. More specifically, I aim to raise awareness of socio-political stereotypes within modern societies through different theatrical mediums.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:8pt;"><strong><em>[Photographic rights belong to Alysha Gomes for the image to the left, Chris Renshaw for the image to the right and Ryan Yates for the headshot]</em></strong></span></p></div>Lights … Camera … Action. It’s the Welcome to Yorkshire Student Film Festivalhttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/lights-camera-action-it-s-the-welcome-to-yorkshire-student-film-f2021-09-22T20:32:57.000Z2021-09-22T20:32:57.000ZSHU Performancehttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/members/SHUPerformance<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9597433492?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Four Sheffield Hallam University student groups have reached the final of the inaugural Welcome to Yorkshire Student Film Competition, an initiative that’s set to continue as an annual county-wide event.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">This recently launched ‘Connected Campus’ competition created by Sheffield Hallam University, Screen Yorkshire and Welcome to Yorkshire, received eleven film submissions covering a diverse range of Yorkshire topics. The project presented an amazing opportunity for filmmakers studying in the region to tell their Yorkshire stories and to showcase the county, while at the same time receiving mentoring and guidance from some of the film industry’s top professionals with Screen Yorkshire.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9597434685,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9597434685,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="9597434685?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Director Sam Donovan (<em>The Crown</em>, <em>Last Tango in Halifax</em>, <em>Utopia</em>) who delivered teaching sessions said:</strong> “<em>As a former Hallam University student it was a pleasure to help current students bring their projects to life. There are some really imaginative stories.”</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Career Support Manager at Screen Yorkshire, Richard Knight said</strong>: “<em>The students received direct input and guidance on their films through development, shoot and edit from the crème de la crème of the UK film industry, which represents everything that our connected campus programme is about. Added to that the fantastic opportunity for the best of the films to be showcased on yorkshire.com thanks to Welcome to Yorkshire’s involvement, and the end result is an incredible learning experience for the students. I am so proud of all they have achieved.”</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Principal Lecturer in Media Arts and Communication at Sheffield Hallam University Annie Watson said: <em>“</em></strong><em>This cross departmental, industry commissioned project was a fantastic initiative for our film students. To experience such a direct connection with the industry and one that extends beyond the initial project (through the competition and the public screenings) is of vital importance, in terms of ambition, development and inspiration.”</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">All films were produced, scripted, directed and acted by students from Sheffield Hallam University, with audio tracks promoting Yorkshire. The judging panel was challenged with selecting the top four finalists from some very impressive entries.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9597436282,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9597436282,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="9597436282?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">It’s now time for the public to choose the overall winner and voting closes at midnight on Sunday 3<sup>rd</sup> October 2021. <a href="https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/fNxrCx18RcQ1RKU83c2B">https://www.yorkshire.com/student-film-competition</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Film 1:</strong> <em>Out of Tea Out of Time</em> – Director Phin Fredrick</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Film 2</strong>: <em>Dracula’s Day Out</em> - Screenwriter Sean O'Reilly</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Film 3:</strong> <em>Victoria Street</em> – Co-directed by Asma Kabadeh & Aaron Hopper</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Film 4:</strong> <em>Keeping up with the Brontës</em> - Director Katie Williams. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;">All votes submitted will be entered into a prize draw to receive a Welcome to Yorkshire badge and snood.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Welcome to Yorkshire Chief Executive James Mason</strong> said: <em>“This is an amazing opportunity for Yorkshire’s incredibly talented students to show top industry specialists their skills and creativity, whilst showcasing our beautiful county far and wide. Yorkshire has a rich history of world-class TV and film production, with ideal locations including breathtaking countryside, stunning coastline, vibrant cities, contemporary and heritage sites, from impressive stately homes to gritty industrial settings. Working closely with Screen Yorkshire and Sheffield Hallam University on this exciting initiative highlights just why Yorkshire is the perfect place to Visit, Live, Work and Study, something Welcome to Yorkshire continues to promote. Good luck to all the fantastic finalists!” </em></span></p><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9597434873,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9597434873,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="9597434873?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></em></span></p></div>Sheffield Hallam Performance Students Recite Shakespeare on the Banks of the Thameshttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/sheffield-hallam-performance-students-recite-shakespeare-on-the-b2019-11-20T12:34:25.000Z2019-11-20T12:34:25.000ZSHU Performancehttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/members/SHUPerformance<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3721729943?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p class="x_MsoNormal">Last week, some of the L5s stood on the bank of the Thames and recited their Shakespeare speeches, against a back-drop of the ever growing tower blocks of London’s skyline. As I watched, I was struck by how the past and present were colliding. Just yards from where we stood, 500 years earlier, Shakespeare’s Players who, to paraphrase, strutted and fretted their hour upon the stage, were speaking the same text out into the London air. Now , thanks to gaming, we think of a Player in different terms, but at least we can agree that a Player is someone that is actively involved in something and doesn’t just watch. For the main part of the evening, we were there to do that; to watch. We were there to watch Richard III in The Pit Theatre.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">I don’t know if you know much about Richard III. He was the last king of the House of York, who reigned from 1452-1485. He was the King that was killed at the battle of Bosworth, whose body was found under a car park in Leicester and was re-interred in Leicester cathedral in 2015. He has always been regarded as a villain, characterised by black, lank hair, a hunched back and a ruthless ambition. Much of this reputation is thanks to Shakespeare, whose History Play about Richard’s blood thirsty reign created one of the best villains in the English language canon. His true villainy is sealed by the cold blooded murder of the innocent princes in the tower. How could he!?</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">Yet Shakespeare wrote this play as a piece of propaganda. He wrote it towards the end of the Tudor dynasty, whilst Elizabeth I was on the throne, and, as it was the Tudors who deposed Richard, he was keen to show that they were the rightful heirs to the crown of England. It was written as a piece of contemporary politics of the time.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">Although Shakespeare’s play was written 500 years and was very much about the politics of then, there was much in this production which also spoke of now. Theatre productions are transitory. They only exist for the short period of time they are being performed (unlike a film, which is recorded and can be watched again years afterwards). The quote from Macbeth, that I referred to earlier about “a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage”, finishes “and then is heard no more” and is used to illustrate that life is as brief as a performance on stage. Productions are also, though, made by people (actors, directors, designers) who live in the real world, outside the Playhouse, and so bring a bit of that world into the rehearsal room and auditorium. Sometimes this is a deliberate aesthetic choice, but even when not, it’s still there. And... you might have noticed that politics is all around us, at the moment. Theres a General Election on the way.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">Richard III is not only about ambition, but also about the importance of learning from past mistakes and of healing the nations wounds. That feels very current. There is much division in our country at the moment (although I doubt a General Election is going to bring the country together) and the split between <span class="x_SpellE">Remainers</span> and <span class="x_SpellE">Brexiteers</span> is as wide as that of the warring families in Richard’s time (ok, I accept, a bit of dramatic licence is needed to go with that). There is also a mistrust of those in power, believing them to care more about maintaining power than anything else.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3721730266,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3721730266,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="3721730266?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p><p class="x_MsoNormal">So, in this production, the director made some clear decisions to make it feel contemporary and current. Rather than play Richard as a deformed old man, this production had him played by a woman actor, who was tall, elegant and charismatic, with striking blond hair. Dare I say, there was something of the current Prime Minister in her faux charisma and complete unscrupulousness. The murders weren’t brutal, but instead funny and cartoon-like. The was a hint of Tarrantino in the way that Richard’s henchmen would dispose of another enemy whilst Richard danced around the stage singing songs. In this world, violence wasn’t shocking, but common place and amusing. Like watching a disaster on the TV news, we were distanced from the terror and watched on dispassionately.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">In Richard’s day, ordinary people, like us, had absolutely no say in what tyrant ran the country. Things have moved on. Now, even though when voting your voice is just one of millions, you do have the opportunity to have your voice heard and counted (and you dont lose your head for it). We can choose to say what we agree or dont agree with. We can vote out of conviction or choose not to support someone because we believe they care more about their own power than the good of the country. We can be discerning and not be sold on fake charm and charisma. We can do more than observe. We can be players.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal">So... Make sure you vote. Who you choose, is up to you and if you’re not sure who to vote for, at least find out which political parties support the arts. We want more people being given the opportunity to shout the words of Shakespeare from the banks of the Thames.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><strong>If you wish to know more about our BA(hons) degree in Acting & Performance at Sheffield Hallam University, then please go to <a href="http://www.shuperformance.co.uk/">www.shuperformance.co.uk</a></strong></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><strong>Images:</strong> Ashley Barnes</p></div>Notes from Erasmus Teaching in Cyprus - Teaching Shakespeare(s)https://community.shuperformance.co.uk/blog/notes-from-erasmus-teaching-in-cyprus-teaching-shakespeare-s2019-02-25T15:20:39.000Z2019-02-25T15:20:39.000ZDr Henry Bellhttps://community.shuperformance.co.uk/members/DrHenryBell<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1200836525?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 18pt;">Blog: 'Forget 'Shakespeare', and think of 'Shakespeares'.</span></p><p>So, it seemed to me that SHAKESPEARE (AND FRIEND) energised the whole of Performance Lab, across year groups, with the world of Shakespeare. Neil Sisson's great work in this respect really seems to be paying off, I feel very lucky to count him as a colleague.</p><p>So I'm going to piggy back on his coattails (not for the first time) and share with you a blog version of a bit of a lecture I am giving this week as part of an Erasmus+ teaching visit to Cyprus. It's my take on the key principles behind teaching Shakespeare…</p><p>At the centre of my approach is the philosophy of my most loved theatre practitioner, Keith Johnstone. He wrote my favourite thought about teaching in the introduction to his masterpiece, <em>Impro</em>. It's probably worth knowing that, before becoming a theatre maker, he trained as a teacher and his experiences of working in what people considered 'rough' schools in South London were instrumental in his approach in later life.</p><p>Johnstone said that,</p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>'Many teachers seem to me to be trying to get their students to conceal fear, which always leaves some traces - a heaviness, an extra tension, a lack of spontaneity (…) Instead of seeing people as untalented, we can see them as phobic, and this completely changes the teacher's relationship with them.'</em></span></p><p>As someone who has taught Shakespeare to all sorts of people, one of the main universal elements in common is this fear. Comments like: 'I don't understand Shakespeare', 'It's for posh people', 'I'd rather study something more modern' - all come from this phobia. A huge part of teaching Shakespeare is not to see students as empty headed or untalented but to see them as scared of getting it wrong.</p><p>This also links to crucial concept in pedagogy which comes from the Brazilian educationalist, Paolo Freire. He criticised systems of education which viewed students as being like empty bank accounts, who came to school or university to have them filled by the currency of knowledge. He called this the 'Banking Model of Education'. Teaching Shakespeare that assumes there is an authenticity or central truth to the subject is falling prey to this idea. Everybody has a position on what they are learning and, for me, the best educational experiences are conversations from both sides.</p><p>Is there something to get 'wrong' or 'right' with Shakespeare? For me, Shakespeare's scripts are like the gopher game at an amusement park, the moment you think you've got them down, when you've hit the gopher on the head, another one pops up. I think the best way to teach Shakespeare is to not resist this.</p><p>As a child, I used to find this frustrating. I’d go for walks with our springer spaniel, Ralph and my dad. I was studying for my A Levels and my brother was at university and my mum was working in London a lot. I had to spend a lot of time with my dad and he has always liked talking about Shakespeare. Lucky me. Whenever I'd try and get my head around something Shakespearean he'd reply with 'Yes… and not.'. It would drive me up the wall but now I realise that this is central to Shakespeare's continued international appeal - as the great teacher of Shakespeare, Rex Gibson wrote,</p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>'Forget 'Shakespeare', and think of 'Shakespeares' is salutary advice. The plays are capable of and invite diverse interpretations. They resist the notion of definite performance.'</em></span></p><p>So what does an educational model that embraces multiplicity look like? Again, let's take a sidestep away from Shakespeare practitioners to look at some broader ideas. Ken Robinson is an educationalist who is a champion of creative pedagogies. He is a great believer in celebrating divergent thinking and I want you to listen to him talk about this concept. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&t=1s" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&t=1s</a> (from 07:40)</p><p><em>If you can't be bothered to watch the video, don't worry. Think about how many uses of a paper clip you can come up with: This is divergent thinking.</em></p><p>Let’s map this 'paper clip' approach on to responses to Shakespeare's work. Just as there are thousands of potential uses for a paper clip, there are thousands of ways of getting learners to interact with Shakespeare's work. There are thousands less if one believes there is an authentic way to do Shakespeare 'properly'. Fundamental to this, for me, is the fact that Shakespeare wrote plays. Let's head back to Rex Gibson, who wrote:</p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>'Treating Shakespeare as a script (and calling it so) suggests a provisionality and incompleteness that anticipates and requires imaginative, dramatic enactment for completion.'</em></span></p><p>The great thing about plays, and perhaps I'm showing my true colours as a theatre director here, is that they are not fully formed. This interpretative space is vital. It is for this reason that, if you were to ask me my top five favourite experiences of watching Shakespeare (and his contemporaries) in the theatre, only one production would be considered a linear representation of a play script in English.</p><p><em>If someone reads this and wants to know what they are - leave a comment!</em></p><p>It makes logical sense for me; therefore, to make sure that performance based pedagogies are part of the approach to Shakespeare's scripts in learning environments. Performance insists on pluralities and this is why I love teaching this subject and why creative approaches are essential tools in the arsenal of any teacher.</p><p>These tools are what I'm going to be exploring with students over in Cyprus - I'll report back with how everything went.</p><p> </p><p>PS</p><p>If you're interested in some of the ideas within this blog I'd recommend you have a look at:-</p><p>Keith Johnstone's TED Talk: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz9mo4qW9bc&t=371s" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz9mo4qW9bc&t=371s</a></p><p>Ken Robinson on divergent thinking: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U</a></p><p>Rex Gibson's <em>Teaching Shakespeare</em>: <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/gb/education/subject/english/shakespeare/cambridge-school-shakespeare/teaching-shakespeare-a-handbook-teachers-2nd-edition-paperback?isbn=9781316609873" rel="nofollow">https://www.cambridge.org/gb/education/subject/english/shakespeare/cambridge-school-shakespeare/teaching-shakespeare-a-handbook-teachers-2nd-edition-paperback?isbn=9781316609873</a></p></div>