Shakespeare
Shakespeare Masterclasses
for schools, colleges and beyond...!
David runs fun, hugely impactful and highly successful Shakespeare Masterclasses - adaptable to suit all ages and abilities - demystifying Shakespeare’s amazing works and words, bringing them to life and making them accessible and hugely enjoyable for all.
•SounD•
Rhythm
•Speeches•
Metaphors
•Drama•
“David is absolutely brilliant -
in the largest sense of the word !”
— Steven Holt, Teacher, Performer, Facilitator, Boston USA
Testimonials
“David has been a wonder -
I highly recommend him!”
— Marie Callinan,
Cowes Enterprise College
—//—
“A pure clinic in
Shakespearean acting.”
— Andrew Hamm, Richmond Shakespeare Company, VA, USA
David will custom build a workshop for you
Options can include:
Choral Speaking: David will choreograph whole groups to speak and deliver together a wide range of Shakespeare speeches, culminating, if you wish, in a “grande finale” to the day with the pupils performing their speeches to each other.
Building team-work, expressiveness, full engagement and far deeper understanding of a wide range of Shakespeare’s amazing works - plus potential to develop the work further - this will bring Shakespeare’s words and works to life with your pupils of all levels fully engaged.
Sound and Rhythm: Discover how the very sounds and rhythms of the words themselves tell us about the characters and how their words may be spoken. An amazing, interactive, eye- and ear-opening introduction to delivering Shakespeare’s words with fun, dynamism and meaning...!
The States of Tension: Bring any texts vividly to life..! This dynamic Physical Theatre session will give pupils the tools to unlock the drama and full variety within texts, improvisations, scenes and speeches. A brilliant method which can be applied to all their work from now on - from Shakespeare to Modern Texts and beyond..! Fabulous, applicable fun...!
Specific Speeches and Scenes - making it real: David is more than happy to work on specific speeches or scenes, unlocking a myriad of meanings, options and truths from the clues that they contain and bringing them truthfully and realistically to life...!
Themes and issues: Interactive exercises to build deeper understanding and insights into the themes, characters and issues within a particular play or plays.
All of the above...! Depending on timings and numbers, all the elements above can be combined to create one amazing day...!
Anything else...? Just ask...! David is always happy to “custom-build” his Shakespeare workshops. What’s guaranteed is that everyone will be involved and there'll be a role for all to play.
Teacher Training -
an actor’s approach...!
David loves sharing his approach and is extremely happy running Shakespeare workshops exclusively for teachers too - working with all levels and experiences.
Each participant will have the chance both to experience and ask questions about every aspect of his approach and will leave with all the tools required to bring to life in their own classrooms any texts for years to come. (Full teachers’ notes are also supplied).
A teachers’ workshop can be combined with pupils’ workshops or booked in its own right.
Thank you again for your hard work and all the passion and energy you shared with us on Monday. We had a great time as a staff group, pupils were fired up (another member of staff who was not with us described pupils as "buzzing" afterwards) and our enthusiasm has continued- we have started soundscaping, making sculptures for (including a human cauldron) and performing the witches' spell... great fun!
— Claire Cullum, Framlingham College
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Thanks again for delivering such valuable sessions.
It was such a pleasure to meet and work with you. I will definitely promote your work amongst colleagues here and keep the opportunity of working with you again secure in my mind.
— Marie Callinan, Cowes Enterprise College
—//—
"Thank you so much. So much dedication, energy, chutzpah and confidence. You gathered all the children into the palm of your hand and tutored, nurtured, tantalised, teased, supported and most crucially ignited within them - the muse of fire...! Long live words!"
— Verity Hewlett, Keir Hardie Primary,
Newham, London
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Challenging, dynamic and great fun, David’s Shakespeare Masterclasses are not to be missed...!
—//—
Short Notice Shakespeare:
Stepping in with just two days’ notice, due to another provider withdrawing at the last minute, in 2014 David ran two Full Shakespeare Days - for 180 Y10 and 75 Y9 students at the Cowes Enterprise Academy on the Isle of Wight.
It proved a great success and the universally positive teachers’ comments included:
“Excellent communication throughout. David has been a wonder: I highly recommend him!”
“Students were entertained and educated without knowing it !”
“David responded to the specification and gave the students Confidence”
“Invaluable - made the plays understandable and accessible”
“Students were enthralled”
“David did an outstanding job of teaching pupils how Shakespeare uses language - ideal for performance and essay work"
“Language is always a tough aspect of writing essays. David gave some brilliant pointers and ideas to consider”
“Students were able to access Shakespeare at their own levels”
“Great to hear Shakespeare being quoted by kids at break!”
“Great preparation for controlled assessments”
“David was incredibly versatile and really opened up Shakespeare for the students. Good CPD for teachers too.”
“They saw Shakespeare in a new light and understood it !”
“Excellent turn-around from unwillingness to taking part enthusiastically.”
“Understanding of the words and stories means they will be able to work on the plays so much more effectively.”
Shakespeare and Robin Hoode...
David’s Shakespeare workshops can also be combined with a fabulous extract from a genuine Mummers’ play of Robin Hoode, based on his experience with “The Lion’s Part”.
For more details click here.
Background:
David draws on his long and broad experience as a Professional Actor, Workshop Leader and Facilitator of Leadership Presence courses globally.
Trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and with John Wright of Trestle Theatre Company for whom he’s also performed and run workshops, David has performed professionally across the U.K. and beyond, including for the National Theatre in London’s West End and at Shakespeare’s Globe. He’s played leading Shakespearean roles (Richard III, Macbeth, Lysander, Demetrius, Puck etc) for The Original Shakespeare Company (using First Folio cue scripts), The English Shakespeare Company, Young Shakespeare Company, the Duke’s Theatre Lancaster, Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre and beyond.
His hugely successful Shakespeare Workshops and Masterclasses will inspire and engage pupils of all ages, experiences and abilities.
Bring Shakespeare’s works to life with your pupils fully engaged…!
Dynamic, energetic
and unforgettable -
an unmatchable resource...!
Interactive, great fun,
and highly engaging.
Any play you like...
David will work with you to design an ideal experience for your participants, whatever their levels and needs - and is happy to base the work on specific plays or draw examples from a wide range of Shakespeare’s work.
He's also very happy to work on existing speeches, projects and productions (Shakespearean or otherwise), as well as provide more general Drama workshops.
Whatever you choose, David’s workshop will be challenging, dynamic, full of insights and great fun,
David Hall’s Shakespeare Workshops and Masterclasses - an unmatchable resource...!