A view from the bard
NEH-funded seminar affords teachers
a unique perspective on Shakespeare

Jay Halio, UD professor of English, is looking forward to his ninth summer conducting "Shakespeare: Enacting the Text," a seminar he developed for elementary through high school teachers about teaching Shakespeare through viewing performances--in films, video and the theatre.

The popular seminar is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which this year gave the program a grant of $122,709. Teachers from across the country vie for spots in the five-week program, which is held at UD for three weeks and concludes with two weeks of theatre-going at Stratford–on-Avon, England, the birthplace of the Bard.

"In 1985, I started introducing teachers to teaching Shakespeare through performance, not just reading the text," Halio said. "Just reading is old hat.

"Because of the high levels of teachers who attend the seminar, it's a very dynamic program. You can't lose with Shakespeare, and the quality of the teachers makes it a very dynamic group. Several of the classes have reunions and keep in touch.

"Meeting these teachers is very uplifting. You realize that our schools are not in as bad a shape as the media leads us to believe," he said.

As Halio eyes retirement, he invited friend Leslie Reidel, UD professor of theatre, to join him in team-teaching the classes. It is his hope that Reidel will continue the seminar in years to come.

More than 100 teachers from across the country typically apply for the seminar. Halio, Reidel and a former seminar participant pick the 15 who will eventually attend, as well as several alternates. Decisions are made on the basis of entrance essays and teaching experience.

While on campus, the teachers live in Christiana Towers. In England, they live in a bed and breakfast.

"The seminar helps teachers understand the plays as plays, not just as literary text," Halio said. "We discuss how the text gets altered or cut, how costumes and sets are designed and actors' characterizations.

"We might, for instance watch a BBC version of The Merchant of Venice and then look at the one with Sir Laurence Olivier that is set in the 19th century and severely cut. There is a lot of discussion, comparison and contrast there.

"We might watch the Zeffirelli production of Hamlet and then the Branagh version. Zeffirelli's version is somewhat chopped up, Branagh's is to long and NEEDS cutting."

In spite of this critique, Halio said he has never seen a Shakespeare performance, on film or stage, that wasn't instructive.

"If it helps teachers understand the text, then it's useful," he says. "After all, these are the people who are in the trenches. We college professors get to stand on the backlines."

Applications for the summer 2003 seminar are now available and must be submitted by March 1. For more information, call 831-3057.

BETH THOMAS