Our Shakespeare Experiment
Friday, May 2, actors from the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company began what we hope will be a long-standing relationship with CCDS. They worked with some of our ninth graders to decode the language of Romeo and Juliet, as part one of a two-part spring experiment.
First, they sought to show the students the final result—what the script can become in production. One actor performed Mercutio’s “Queen Mab” speech, then shared with the students her method for understanding the language. Two actors then played a scene in radically different ways, demonstrating how body language can drastically alter the viewers’ experience.
The spotlight then turned to the students, as they enjoyed visualization exercises and even a turn at “the punctuation dance”—using their bodies to internalize the punctuation that Shakespeare used to direct actors’ reading.
The actors return again on May 16th to coach our students further and to critique student performances. If the work is as successful as we hope it will be, the CSC will become part of every CCDS ninth graders’ experience! Thanks to Fred Carey '80 for facilitating this bridge to the professional world of Shakespeare thespians.
