Student Performers Creatively Direct and Adapt Shakespeare Classic

English 10 classes murmured with anticipation, intention, and drama as they stood on the stage of the Taylor Performing Arts Center ready to perform their original interpretation of a passage from Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

In class with English teacher Jennifer Manley, students have been reading and analyzing Hamlet as the unit of study focuses and emphasizes the interpretation of literature, development of expository, and creative writing skills. For their final assessment, they were tasked with creating their own promptbook of a scene from Act IV or Act V. A promptbook is a copy of a script that has been cut and/or annotated by the director to create a theatrical production.

To prepare for the assessment and performance, students were broken into groups where they worked together to decide on what scene to adapt. Once the scene was chosen, they moved collaboratively through a complex process of reading, re-reading, editing, adapting, imagining, and rehearsing to compile in the promptbook. Students spent class time finalizing the staging of the scene, what gestures and actions should be made along with the dialogue, how lines should be delivered, and what to cut. The final version of the promptbook with all the changes and a defense of the directorial decisions, specifically explaining why they made the choices and articulating their analysis of the text.

“The promptbook was a creative exercise in demonstrating the students’ knowledge and understanding of the play, and Shakespeare’s language had to lead the students’ directorial choices,” said Ms. Manley. “It was a great way to take a traditional body of work and provide students the opportunity to read closely, discuss, collaborate, and evaluate with a purpose.”

Following the performance, the students will be evaluated on different components reflective of the overall project guideline. The components include students demonstrating their understanding of the characters and what they are saying/wanting; does the defense summarize the scene clearly, concisely, and accurately; does the defense describe how this process shapes a new and different understanding of the play, and more.