This year for the SGCNZ Shakespeare Festival, I directed a sequence from “Titus Andronicus”. This is what I was thinking, and how it went in the long run, with video attached. The thing about Titus is that it is a very, very, very bloody play. It features everything horrid that you can cram into a play – murder, revenge, war, rape, cannibalism…. you know. The … Continue reading Performing Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus
This has been an exceptional year. In case you are new here, I am a Theatre teacher… so I get to live my life doing theatre. And mostly, I love it. However, this year has been amazing for so many reasons. Here are my top 10 theatre moments of the year. Disclaimer…. I will say “amazing” a lot. 10. Troll. (Trick of the Light Theatre) … Continue reading 2018 – My Highlights in Theatre
I have been privileged to be in London for Theatre events a few times, and every time is brilliant. There really are no bad experiences on the West End, or in London in general for theatre. And to be completely fair, this list will include at least one thing that is outside of the West-End… but it is totally worth it. Honourable mention needs to … Continue reading Top 5 West-End Theatre Experiences
I’ve been passionate about Shakespeare since before I attended high school… however, I know this isn’t the case for many students… or teachers. Recently I returned from the greatest few weeks working with the Globe Theatre in London, developing a deeper love for Shakespeare and a passion for engaging even younger kids with his works. I developed this teaching unit for use in middle and … Continue reading Teaching Shakespeare
To summarise my experience with the Teachers Go Global programme has been the hardest thing to write. To say the experience was life altering seems trite, but so true. For most of my life, I have never really felt “at home”. This has extended to frequent moves, an extended list of places I don’t want to live, and a need to be near a certain … Continue reading Performing on the Globe Theatre Stage
Hello! After compiling 12 plays from William Shakespeare and presenting them to you here, I hope you have enjoyed the reading over the last 12 days. As you may be aware, I am traveling to London in July to perform at the Globe Theatre, so every play on the list this year is one from Shakespeare. I am very excited about this. (Though I still … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Directory
And thus we reach the last play in our list of the 12 Plays of Christmas. Today is Twelfth Night, signaling the last day of winter, and Epiphany Eve, and work beginning again in the fields… so Twelfth Night is all about fun, and removing Christmas decorations. The play “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare is all about fun. “Twelfth Night” is my favourite comedy. It … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 12 – Twelfth Night
Welcome to the 11th Play of Christmas. Today we shall look at Shakespeare’s “Henry VIII”. Unusually, “Henry VIII” isn’t performed that often, which is a sad thing because it is a great play. Following the story of Henry VIII through the end of his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and his second marriage to Ann Boleyn. The actual story is gripping, and adding the … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 11 – Henry VIII
Welcome to Day 10! Traditionally January 3 is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially ‘named’ in the Jewish Temple. So what better choice of play than “The Merchant of Venice”. “The Merchant of Venice” centers around a few key players. Portia, who needs to marry, is keen on Bassanio. He however lacks money, so works on a … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 10 – The Merchant of Venice
Welcome to Day 9. Traditionally the 9th day of Christmas is for the well-traveled saints… and who do we know who is well-traveled? The Moor of Venice. Othello is a well crafted tragedy setting up the relationship between the Moor Othello, a general, and his fair wife, Desdemona. It doesn’t help that they initially ran off in secret to get married, or that Othello overlooked … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 9 – Othello
Beyond Theatre 