A fifth-grade girl insisted that she could be Romeo, and why not? Shakespeare had boys play girls and women, so we would reverse that sexist tradition. The two boys we had in the cast wanted to be the dueling Tybalt and Mercutio. One would be the happy and loving Juliet, the other the tragic and doom-laden Juliet. Two fourth-grade girls cleverly divided up the role of Juliet. This was a necessary way to identify some older students who had enthusiasm but lacked commitment. I was clear about the expectations: preparation was required and there were no second chances. They could find fun ways to express love.ДЇor the auditions, I asked the students to prepare a one-minute presentation, which could be a monologue, a scene from the play, or something original. I did point out that this was a play with expressions of love, something that many students find a giggly distraction. Romeo and Juliet won, with A Midsummer's Night Dream and, surprisingly, The Taming of the Shrew close behind. I required them to use their recently acquired persuasive writing skills to convince the rest of the troupe about their choice. The elementary school librarian helpfully circulated abridged novelizations of Shakespeare's plays so that the students could explore the choices. Month 1: A Fool's Paradise (or Deciding Upon a Text and Auditions) Here is a breakdown of the four-month timeframe.

Shakespeare direct drive ed