In-School Workshops
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival offers in-class workshops for students of all ages - elementary through college. Per the teacher's request, many of these workshops relate directly to the Shakespeare play classes are currently studying, geared specifically toward exploring an over-arching idea through acting exercises led by a professional teaching artist. Educators may request any of the plays in Shakespeare's illustrious canon.
Our workshops meet many objective-based learning standards, including the following English III TCAP standards: 2.02-Extend Reading Vocabulary, 2.05-Increase Fluency in Oral Reading, 2.07-Analyze the use of Figurative Language, and 4.06-Improve Critical Listening Skills Essential for Comprehension.
Shakespeare in Action Workshops
Spring Shakespeare 2024: Hamlet Workshop
Every year, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival presents a fully-mounted indoor production of a Shakespeare classic in partnership with a local university. Before your students come to see one of the daytime school matinees of Hamlet in April 2024, book a pre-production workshop that prepares their minds and excites their spirits. These workshops are custom-designed by NSF's team of local teaching artists.
Cost: $100 for a one-hour workshop (30 students or less), free for Title I schools. Subsidized workshops may be available.
Shakespeare: An Actor's Approach
This exciting workshop brings teaching artists into the classroom to help students unlock Shakespearean text like an actor. Through a series of scenes explored by the artist and students together, all study the arc of one character’s development from beginning to end. Throughout the exercises, the teaching artist leads discussion and debate on how an actor might interpret the characterization. An added bonus: many of the artists have played these roles and know them inside-and-out!
Cost: $100 for a one-hour workshop (30 students or less), free for Title I schools. Subsidized workshops may be available.
Shakespeare: Exploring Text through Performance
Want to get your students excited about studying Shakespeare? In this workshop, students embody the language, characters, and scenes of a Shakespeare play in an interactive, performance-style workshop. This experience involves full student participation as a teaching artist leads explorations of Shakespearean verse, staging, and character study. Students rehearse and perform scenes for each other by the end of the class!
Cost: $100 for a one-hour workshop (30 students or less), free for Title I schools. Subsidized workshops may be available.
Exploring Shakespeare through Direction
Students take on the role of director in this workshop by helping professional actors discover multiple interpretations of short Shakespeare scenes. Another teaching artist facilitates the class discussion, funneling the students' creative ideas into actable choices. This workshop develops students’ communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and imaginations as they explore the many ways to play Shakespeare.
Cost: $100 for a one-hour workshop (30 students or less), free for Title I schools. Subsidized workshops may be available.
Custom-Designed Workshop
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is willing to create new workshops specifically-designed to meet teachers needs and goals. Reach out to our Education Director Katie Bruno to learn more!
Cost: Variable depending upon workshop requirements.
(*Please note that workshops requested by schools more than 50 miles away from 161 Rains Avenue, Nashville, will be charged a mileage fee of $0.35 per mile.)