Peter Hinton’s 07-08 English Theatre season is inspired by and investigates the classical stage repertoire and some of the best stories ever told –tales that startle, delight and inspire, and a modern play or two that explore a classical theme while speaking directly to our world. Your students will meet the plays and players of 17th-century England, a century that began with the death of Elizabeth I, and saw the beheading of a king, a civil war, the restoration of the monarchy, war, plague and religious turmoil. On stage, it was a century that marked the transition from the late, great plays of Shakespeare performed in open-air theatres, to the closing of the theatres during Puritan rule, to the joyous re-opening of the theatres indoors and, for the first time, women on stage. The period is fascinating and offers students myriad ways to explore it. Also onstage at the NAC in 07-08, we are offering a modern look at one of the founding stories of western civilization, Homer’s great epic, The Odyssey.We will enjoy one of Molière’s greatest comedies in a fresh new Canadian translation, and see a fascinating adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar by one of Canada’s foremost Aboriginal theatre companies.

The 07-08 English Theatre season offers you and your students a chance to explore the most explosively creative century in dramatic history. Schedule one (or more) of our carefully designed workshops created specifically to help you and your students get the most out of every exciting minute on stage.

Pre- or Post-Performance Workshops
Delivered in your classroom or at the NAC, these workshops offer enriched learning opportunities for students to delve deeper into the worlds of the plays they’ll be seeing or have just seen. A pre-performance workshop allows students to connect with the work and better understand the language, elements and themes of the play. A post-performance workshop gives students the chance to debrief and share their thoughts and opinions. When possible, actors performing in the play teach these workshops, allowing students to learn first-hand about the rehearsal process and the creation of the piece. The Workshops include a question and answer session with the actors.

Examples of workshops (subject to availability)

• Playwriting
• Design
• Discussion of the play
• Props
• Movement
• Text-on-theirfeet
• Text analysis
• Shakespeare background/text
• Canadian text exploration

Fee: $150 plus GST for a workshop (1-1.5 hrs. approx. 30 students maximum)

Skill Building Workshops for Students
These workshops can be booked at any time and are not in conjunction with a particular play. Intended to enhance your teaching, these workshops can take place at the NAC or in your school and are available for elementary to post-secondary levels. You can book an artist for an hour or for a fewdays (short residency). Workshops are delivered by professional artists who have a keen interest in teaching.

Examples of workshops (subject to availability)

• Stage combat
• Improvisation
• Movement
• Collective creation
• Poetry Design
• Playwriting
• Voice
• Text analysis
• Textual study: Shakespeare and Jacobeanand Restoration

Spend a day at the NAC
Students can participate in a workshop, a backstage visit and attend a matinee all in one day. Workshops are taught by actors performing in the play (subject to availability) either before or immediately after the performance.

Sample Schedule

9:15 arrive at the NAC
9:30-10:30 backstage visit
10:30-11:30 workshop
11:30-12:15 lunch (students should bring their own lunch and drink)
12:30 matinee begins

Fee: $150 for a workshop and $50 for a backstage visit.
Total cost: $200 plus GST (30 students maximum)

Backstage Visits
Led by professional stage managers, these visits give you a sneak peek behind the stages of the NAC. Students will enjoy learning about stage management and may visit the the prop shop, set shop and wardrobe to see how productions come together. You may take a backstage visit only or pair it with a pre-performance workshop and a student matinee to create your “day at the NAC”.

Fee: $50 plus GST (maximum of 30 students per group).
Note: Tours may be restricted and are subject to availability.

More workshop opportunities!

• Reserve a workshop for your students with the NAC English Theatre Playwright in Residence – learn about crafting work for the stage and so much more
• Let one of Canada’s leading Aboriginal theatre companies lead your students through a tailored workshop
• Pre- and post-performance workshops in conjunction with a performance at the NAC
• Skill building workshops tailored to your needs
• Study Guides, Teachers’ Night, March Break, Student Club

NAC March Break Program for Youth at Risk
This free programme is intended for students who are challenged in the pursuitof their interest in theatre due to financial, logistical difficulties or family difficulties. This intensive one-week theatre training programme, March 10-14, 2008, provides students aged 15 to 19 with the opportunity to spend a week at the NAC seriously studying theatre. Sharada Eswar, NAC Playwright in Residence will be leading students on an exploration of her new work, a look at the similarities between the Mahabharata and Jacobean revenge tragedies. This workshop may include text, voice and movement. Participants are accepted on the recommendation of teachers and social/youth workers, and must undergo an interview process. Please contact Martina Kuska, Education and Outreach Coordinator at: 613-947-7000 ext. 522 in January 2008 to recommend your students.

Teachers’ Information Night
Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Be our guest at an evening highlighting our educational resources and activities. Artistic Director, Peter Hinton will introduce you to each play in the season. Meet the English Theatre staff and ask any questions you may have. We are pleased to offer you complimentary tickets to the world premiere of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, an NAC English Theatre Company production in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company (UK).

Professional Development for Teachers!
Peter Hinton, Artistic Director of English Theatre and one of English Canada’s foremost theatre practitioners, will be teaching three workshops in conjunction with the 07-08 season.

Shakespeare
Building on the success of last season’s Shakespeare workshop, Peter Hinton offers former participants and newcomers the next instalment in an exploration of the work of The Bard. This workshop might include a comprehensive look at text, staging, or reading and performing Shakespeare.

Date: Thursday, November 8, 2007 from 9:00-15:00
Fee: $100 (plus GST)

The 17^th Century – An exploration
Peter Hinton will present a fascinating look at the social history, culture and customs of the 100 years between the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the restoration of the monarchy following the English civil war. Anecdotal, factual, and fascinating, this workshop illuminates the context of the 07-08 English Theatre season.

Date: Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 9:00-15:00
Fee: $100 (plus GST)

Restoration
Following the English civil war and many years of Puritan rule, Charles II, was “restored” to the throne of England. The period that followed was one of the most vibrant, exciting and creative in English history. In this workshop with Peter Hinton, the wonderful social, cultural and dramatic context of this extraordinarily fecund period will be brought to vivid life. Elementary teachers will gain new insight into The Snow Show and its inspirations, and Secondary teachers will be able to share their newfound expertise with students seeing And All for Love and The Way of the World.

Date: Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 from 9:00-15:00
Fee: $100 (plus GST)

Skill-building Workshops for Teachers
Organize your own professional development workshop based on your needs. For generalists or specialists, Elementary or Secondary teachers, these workshops provide you with important information and help you brush up on your skills. Offered at the NAC or at your school.

Examples of workshops

• Drama for ESL teachers
• Drama for elementary grades
• Aboriginal Theatre
• Canadian Theatre
• Tools for teaching Shakespeare
• Technical Theatre – i.e. lighting

Dates: Anytime
Fee: TBD

Call Martina Kuska, Education and Outreach Coordinator to arrange a workshop 613-947-7000 ext. 522.

Curriculum Links (Ontario)
Grades 5-8 Drama & Dance – knowledge of elements; creative work, critical thinking
Grades 9-11 Dramatic Arts – aspects of theory, creation, and analysis.
Grade 12 Dramatic Arts – Theory: Specific Expectations: students will describe how the elements, principles, and techniques of dramatic arts have been used in the past (e.g. in the staging of Greek, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Restoration Drama)

The Ark
A company of Canada’s finest professional actors, directors, playwrights, designers, historians and dramaturges, along with students from the National Theatre School of Canada, will spend three weeks exploring Vox Lumina, a play by Paula Wing. Vox Lumina is about the extraordinary and prolific 12th-century Abbess, Hildegard Von Bingen, a woman and a composer of irrepressible spirit and vibrant intellect who overcame social, cultural and gender barriers to achieve transcendence.

Observe a rehearsal of The Ark
Drop by and watch the actors at work.

Date: Saturday, October 13, 2007
Time: TBD

The Performance
Join us for a public presentation of some of the discoveries made during The Ark.

Date: Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 20:00
Location: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (82 Kent St. at Wellington)
Cost: Tickets $20 (incl. GST) available at the NAC box office

Information/registration for all Theatre Plus! activities, please contact Education and Outreach Coordinator: Martina Kuska 613-947-7000 ext. 522

Teachers’ Advisory Group
This is your chance to tell us how you feel about our programming and offer suggestions. The Teachers’ Advisory Group meets 2-3 times a year to discuss what is happening in your classrooms and our theatre. Tell us how we can complement your teaching. Sample discussion topics include: ArtsAlive website, Study Guides, and workshops. This advisory is for Elementary, Secondary and College/University teachers. Call Martina Kuska, at 613-947-7000 ext. 522 to volunteer.