Drama/Literature: Acting From Shakespeare’s First Folio With Benjamin Archer From Solent University

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In this English Literature/Drama workshop, Benjamin Archer, a trained professional actor, who has worked on both stage and screen, and Lecturer in the Department of Art and Music at Solent University, presents Acting From Shakespeare’s First Folio.

The 1623 publication Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies also known as the First Folio claims to contain the exact replicas of Shakespeare’s original plays. Whilst this is often the subject of great debate, the First Folio provides a wealth of clues to help students understand Shakespeare’s verse and prose.

This workshop provides an accessible way into the text, looking at visual clues in the format and presentation of the First Folio text to bring the words to life without the need for lengthy analysis.

We will analyse the following script: Paulina and refer to this synopsis of The Winter’s Tale. Please familiarise yourself with these ahead of the session. You will also need to have access to these texts during the session, either as paper or digital copy.

Lecturer Profile (Please Click): Benjamin Archer

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Drama, Performance, Theatre and related disciplines. The session will also be very relevant to students studying Shakespeare as part of an English Literature course. Student groups as well as students and teachers joining individually are very welcome.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: We will analyse the following script: Paulina and refer to this synopsis of The Winter’s Tale. Please familiarise yourself with these ahead of the session. You will also need to have access to these texts during the session, either as paper or digital copy. Students may also wish to consider the topic in advance and questions they have as well as questions about studying at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans (similar to Zoom) and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here