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In Act 2, Scene 7 of As You Like It, the character of Jacques reminds us that “all the world’s a stage”– bringing to mind the various parts we play not only throughout our lives, but in our day-to-day interactions. Here, we want to talk about worlds and stages in a more literal sense: thinking, that is, about how and where plays can be put on.

Everyone reading this blog will be working with young actors across a variety of contexts – formal classrooms, home-schooling spaces, maybe even a neighbourhood play group. The facilities will, by necessity, be different in each; some of you may have dedicated auditoriums where bigger plays can be staged, and others will be turning their living rooms into a theatre! And that versatility is what we want to celebrate. 

Such is the beauty of Theatre as a work of imagination: We do not need a formal stage or fancy costumes; we do not have to wait for the “perfect moment” to stage a production. On rainy days when the kids cannot go out to play, a sheet or tablecloth can become a backdrop against which they speak their lines. On crisp Autumn afternoons, a park or the backyard becomes an outdoor theatre with a blanket, snacks, and a book of Shakespeare’s Sonnets to read aloud. 

If indeed “all the world’s a stage,” then think of all the opportunities for putting on a show! The magic of Theatre can take place literally anywhere you can bring together actors and an audience – and, most importantly, the transformative power of Shakespeare’s words. 

For every child, parent, and teacher, the end of Summer brings reflection on good times had, as well as anticipation of experiences to come. As we meet another Autumn, what better moment to celebrate Shakespeare’s own evocation of the seasons? 

Miriam Weiner’s children’s book Shakespeare’s Seasons, illustrated by Shannon Whitt, offers a glimpse of the Bard’s perspectives on Nature and the passing of time. We especially love the collages in this book; each image practically springs from the page with vibrancy and texture. Weiner and Whitt have chosen thought-provoking excerpts from sonnets and plays, from the classic “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” to The Winter’s Tale – all ‘Shakespeare For Our Children’ favorites! 

It can be hard to go back to school, no question.

But through Shakespeare’s words, Weiner and Whitt remind us of the wondrous possibilities of each Season.

Part of our approach to teaching Shakespeare has always been to think about his words as spoken music. This concept helps young actors consider how to give each word its value as they become accustomed to the rhythm of the dialogue. What also deserves attention is Shakespeare’s incorporation of actual music in his plays. From tragedies to comedies, Shakespeare would include songs both to heighten the action and provide a further level of entertainment to his audience. We can see and hear this in works as varied as “Oh Mistress Mine” from Twelfth Night (Act 2, Scene 3) and the songs that signal Ophelia’s descent into madness in Hamlet.

In whatever context, songs and music provide an excellent way to engage students in a production. This is especially true of those children who might not feel confident enough to take on a full role but would enjoy singing as part of a chorus (as in, for instance, the Fairy Lullaby in A Midsummer Night’s Dream). The use of music in the plays also provides opportunities for working with those in other performing arts – think about music teachers with whom you could collaborate, and whose students might want to form a small musical “troupe” to accompany the actors.

And never forget to include music as an inspirational background to rehearsals! Mendelssohn’s scoring of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Prokofiev’s music for the Romeo and Juliet ballet, are easily accessible and provide the finest scene-setting soundtrack. The most important thing is that students understand Shakespeare’s works as vibrant and multi-faceted – and music is key in helping young actors bring those works to life.

In Act 2, Scene 1 of The Tempest, the character of Antonio declares to his comrade, “What’s past is prologue, what to come / In yours and my discharge.” Though fairly sinister in its context — Antonio is trying to convince his companion to commit a murder! — the statement has since been adopted to convey the dialogue between past, present, and future. How many of us have looked back on the events that shaped our present moment, or considered how a choice made today would influence “what to come”?

As adult as these concerns seem — however mature this relationship to time — these kinds of questions are also helpful when working with young actors. Think, for instance, about how challenging it can be for children to relate to the roles they take on. If and when this happens, you can ask them: Are there moments in your background that remind you of the character’s situation? What memories of past experiences can shape your approach to the future performance?

Playing a part in a play is not just about discovering a character; it is about an actor discovering more about themselves.

So much of Theatre evokes a world of imagination, possibility — and even hope — for the audience. All of these elements call upon the actor’s own connection to the role: “what’s past is prologue” to their interpretation of a given part . . . “what to come” is in their control.

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Just as Shakespeare’s plays offer dramatic worlds complete in themselves, by turns full of Romance, Comedy, and Tragedy, so too do his Sonnets present perfectly-crafted expressions of experience. Each only 14 lines, the Sonnets are exquisite mediations on love and art itself.

None is more famous than Sonnet 8, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” We have discussed its particular lyricism here; but as we are properly on the threshold of summer, the words have all the more impact. Children and teachers alike will now be counting the days to vacation, and so will find special meaning in this sonnet. When Shakespeare writes of the sun as “the eye of heaven,” how vividly it brings to mind the long and lazy days of the season. And the “darling buds of May” — even if shaken by “rough winds” — capture the promise of summer blossoms. 

Certainly all would agree that “summer’s lease hath all too short a date”(!). Of course, Shakespeare explores the qualities of the season in order to juxtapose the vagaries of nature with the constancy — the “eternal summer” — of his beloved.

But how well too the strength of his imagery captures our broader, and equally eternal, love affair with summer itself. 

Among the most quoted words from Hamlet ― and indeed Shakespeare’s entire body of work ― is the phrase, “The play’s the thing.” Appearing at the end of Act II, Scene 2, the phrase refers to Hamlet’s plan to stage a play dramatizing the murder of his father. Longing to provoke a confession of guilt from his murderous uncle Claudio, the young prince declares: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”

Considered within the context of Hamlet’s obsession with avenging his father’s death, the quotation speaks to both ingenuity and desperation. Yet in itself, “the play’s the thing” has entered popular culture as a means of expressing the importance of the theatrical experience.

That is certainly how we used it in our SFOC productions. It became a statement of purpose both when we talked about the possibilities for a future production – “Remember, the play’s the thing!” ― as well as in those more intensive periods of behind-the-scenes preparation. Whenever one of our young actors came to rehearsals without knowing their lines, the rest of the troupe would chorus, “The play’s the thing!”

Minor questions about such things as costume details (or who had the bigger part), were often resolved with a gentle reminder that these personal issues had little place in the production itself. After all . . . “the play’s the thing.” Parents and teachers know well how hard it can be to impress upon children a sense of responsibility. What “the play’s the thing” offered to our performers was a means of expressing the importance of coming together to serve a greater purpose ― and, at the same time, understanding the privilege of doing so.

Now that Spring has sprung, it seems appropriate to highlight a particularly lovely book: Shakespeare’s Flowers, written by Jessica Kerr (with illustrations by Anne Ophelia Dowden). First published in 1969 and still available here, this insightful and highly readable work traces the significance of flowers across Shakespeare’s oeuvre. 

Given the complexity of Shakespeare’s characterizations, it is easy to consider the plays as explorations of purely human nature. As Kerr points out, though, the myriad depictions of flowers attest to the symbolic language of the botanical world. “Shakespeare liked to use flowers as images to illustrate his ideas about people,” Kerr writes, noting that they helped to convey “what [individuals] looked like, their characters, and their actions.” Whether discussing Ophelia’s wildflowers or the “rose by any other name” invoked by Juliet, the magical blossoms in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the daffodils of A Winter’s Tale, Kerr captures the spectrum of Shakespeare’s natural imagery.

Yet there is also the historical importance of these images to consider. According to Kerr, Shakespeare’s writing gives us a “wonderful picture of the English countryside and of the gardens and flowers” which featured in his personal landscape. In so engaging with the flowers that populate his plays, we are implicitly engaging with the natural world as Shakespeare knew it. And that, as Kerr reminds us, could be as dramatic as any theatrical stage!

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As part of our Treasure Trove series in which we highlight wonderful resources, we at Shakespeare For Our Children want to recommend an exciting BBC documentary entitled “Opera, Ballet and the Bard” – watch it here. This hour-long production (originally streamed live) offers an in-depth exploration of how Shakespeare’s works gain new life in dance and music. 

Not only does the documentary present innovative interpretations of familiar pieces, but it also shows the rehearsal process for dancers and singers as they hone their performances. It is a marvellous opportunity for children to see how professionals approach their craft – and it may even inspire the young performers to rehearse with all the more zeal and determination!

Also striking is how Shakespeare’s words “translate” to different art forms – how the turn of a line is paralleled in a given melody or series of dance steps. Ultimately, a production such as this helps students understand Shakespeare’s own infinite variety.

As we discussed in a recent post, Measure for Measure invites its audience to think about the ways that “our doubts are traitors” standing in the way of positive action. Though she is hesitant at first, heroine Isabella must overcome her own doubts and plead with Duke Angelo for her brother’s life. 

In this exchange from Act II, Scene 1, the Duke insists that the young man must be punished for his crime. (Listen below.) Isabella, though, makes her appeal with a mixture of reason and emotion. She asks the Duke to imagine himself in her brother’s place — and to appreciate the latter’s benevolence: “If he had been as you, and you as he / You would have slipp’d like him; but he, like you / Would not have been so stern.” Which is to say — as Isabella conveys — mercy born of understanding could mean the difference between life and death. 

The stakes are at their very highest here, but they find a more everyday parallel in a teacher’s own negotiation of difficult situations. As educators, we aim to know “the rules” of everything from the classroom to the playground, and we try to instil their importance in our students. But like the Duke, we are often faced with moments when it is more important to open our eyes to a student’s unique circumstances than to follow blindly the rules of crime-and-punishment.

We earn respect from our students so that we can run our classrooms and teach them as best we can. But like the Duke, sometimes we must learn that, in Isabella’s words, “No ceremony that to great ones longs [ . . . ] become[s] them with one half so good a grace / as mercy does.”

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In his comedy Twelfth Night, Shakespeare famously wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” As the Holiday Season is upon us, we are indeed faced with a veritable kaleidoscope of festivities – and any number of moments in which we all “play on”! From Christmas shopping to Thanksgiving dinners, lighting the Hanukkah candles to wrapping presents, this is a time of high cheer and good fun.

Yet with the season can come an underlying chaos, and at times, it is essential to pause and find moments of serenity. We at Shakespeare For Our Children suggest making the Bard your holiday oasis. More lilting than any Christmas carol, Shakespeare’s words can help introduce a meditative rhythm to all of the hustle and bustle. Listen here to the Twelfth Night piece mentioned above, or read aloud a scene from the play. Or, if you’re feeling introspective, explore “To Be or Not To Be”! Restorative and engaging, sharing these works of art – or just keeping them as a present to yourself – will help make the Holiday Season all the more joyous.