Shaking Up Shakespeare: Reaching the Shakespeare-Averse With Adaptations What role can his work play in teaching us about ourselves in the 21st century? In this lesson, students will examine their preconceptions about Shakespeare and his work. Then, after reading one theater critic's case for reading and seeing Shakespeare this year, they will use The Times to explore adaptations of a Shakespearean play they are currently studying. Finally, they will use these as a springboard for staging their own scenes from the play in a new way, using an adaptation they have read about as a model. Be Not Cowed. Then tell students you are going to begin class by sharing what they know and feel about Shakespeare in a "speed dating" format. Ask one of the following questions, giving pairs two minutes to talk (one per person), then ask the outer circle to rotate, so students have new partners, and ask another question. Continue this way until you have exhausted the questions, walking around to gauge reactions and prior knowledge. What do you think of when you hear "Shakespeare"? When you hear you are going to read Shakespeare, what is your first reaction? What experiences - good and/or bad - have you had with Shakespeare? What do you know, or think you know, about Shakespeare? Can you quote anything from Shakespeare? What stories, movies or television shows do you know of that are based on Shakespeare's plays? What lies can you tell about Shakespeare? That is, what do you know that is definitely not true about him and his works? After students have answered these questions, reconvene as a class and discuss comments and reactions that you heard. Probe student ideas and feelings about Shakespeare, trying to get at their formative experiences with Shakespeare. Clear up any confusion or misconceptions you overheard. If it comes up and students seem interested, you might discuss the authorship question. Be Not Cowed," the Times theater critic Charles Isherwood stages an interview with a Shakespeare skeptic to build a case for Shakespeare in 2013. (Note to teachers: The article does have some mature content that might not be appropriate for all classes. Be sure to preview the article in its entirely before sharing it with students.) What are the problems this writer's imagined Shakespeare skeptic has with Shakespeare? What are some of the arguments Mr. Isherwood uses to convince the skeptic of Shakespeare's worth? What examples of modern adaptations does he provide? Do these interest you? What role do the frequent comparisons of Shakespeare to television programs play in the article? According to the writer, what happens when you are moved by a great Shakespeare play? To expand their understanding of this article and of adapting Shakespeare, assign small student groups to each of the productions to which the refers. Ask that students read the article associated with their assigned production and summarize the direction of the production for the class, showing any visuals that accompany the article so students can visualize exactly how the directors are updating these classics. Once students have shared, discuss the following questions: Why do Shakespeare's plays endure? Why update them in these various ways? Does a "modern" version of a Shakespearean play make it more appealing to you? What about Shakespeare's plays makes them so adaptable to different times and places? How do Shakespeare's plays give us insight into our own times? If you could, how would you update the play we are currently studying? After your discussion, charge students with finding as many adaptations of whatever play you are studying in class as they can by searching in The New York Times online and reading about them. Putting in the search terms "production Shakespeare" along with the title ("Romeo and Juliet," for example) can help narrow the results so that students don't simply find every reference ever made in The Times to that play. You might invite individual students to conduct their own searches and read widely, or conduct the search yourself, before class, and assign particular pieces to individual students, which they might later share with the class. Either way, have them try to find detail about each of the following for the adaptations they read about setting and sets; character; and music and costumes. Students might also be interested in the comments Times readers have left to the question posed by the Theater section as part of their special Shakespeare section this fall: What experience made you love or hate William Shakespeare's plays? Find the answers here. If students read multiple articles about multiple adaptations, they may track this information in a simple chart. After students have read about multiple productions or learned about them from one another, ask them which they find most appealing and most true to the play and why. Which ideas do they think would "sell" Shakespeare to skeptics of their generation? They might decide to follow the ideas of a single adaptation or blend ideas from several they have read about. Ask that they make a copy of the scene they will consider and create a "promptbook" including notations about stage directions, costumes, music, scenery and character in the spirit of their idea. After students have a chance to rehearse their scenes, have them perform them for one another in class or record them for later viewing. Encourage students to have fun with their performances, bringing in music, costume pieces and props, as needed. Student performances bring scenes to life, creating opportunities to either introduce scenes or examine, or re-examine, them in greater depth after an initial reading. Analyze how and why individuals, events and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. Writing 2. Present information, findings and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.