Residency Models

Play Introduction Residency

A short, 1- to 4-day introduction to a specific Shakespeare play. In just a short period of time, we will cover themes of the play, characters, and setting, and given/special circumstances of the play.

At Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus, we sent eight teaching artists to teach four days ofRomeo and Juliet to all 35 freshman English classes, from the Honors classes to the Special Ed programs! Every student learned about Shakespeare’s language and stories, stage combat, Elizabethan dress and dance, and scene studies from Romeo and Juliet. They followed up this residency with a visit from our touring production of the play.

Sample Romeo and Juliet Residency (4 days)
Day 1: Introduction to Shakespeare’s world and iambic pentameter
Day 2: Stage combat
Day 3: Elizabethan dance
Day 4: Scene studies from Romeo and Juliet

Play Intensive Residency

Take a Shakespeare play off the pages and put it on its feet! Acting, dancing, fighting — you name it. We work with a Shakespeare play in your curriculum the way that Shakespeare would have intended — as actors!

We get to know the characters, themes, and setting, and speak the language until it feels natural to students, even if they have never read Shakespeare before. Play intensive residencies typically last 3 to 6 weeks.

Shakespeare’s World Residency

This residency covers a variety of topics around Shakespeare’s life and work, plays and sonnets — giving students a fresh and comprehensive connection to Shakespeare’s world that will enrich their encounters with his work for life!

Showcase Residency

Students dive into Shakespeare several times a week over the course of a month, culminating in a showcase of scenes from Shakespeare. Master teaching artists work with classroom teachers to build a curriculum that focuses on scenes from two or more Shakespeare plays. Everyone is a leading actor!

One-Month
At Montlake Elementary, we worked with two classes of 4th grade students to put on scenes from two different Shakespeare plays – Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Four days per week for four weeks, our teaching artists would come to Montlake during Language Arts class and work with students on understanding their lines, staging scenes, learning dance and combat, and rehearsing the final showcase. At the end of the month, they put on a daytime showcase for the whole school and an evening showcase for parents.

Six Days over Three Weeks
At Spanaway Junior High, we visited two classes of 6th grade students on Tuesdays and Thursdays during their 90-minute block periods for three weeks. On other days of the week, the teacher would rehearse with students on her own and go over what they had learned with the teaching artist. They put on a showcase of scenes from Romeo and Juliet during the day for their whole school and in the evening for their parents.

One Week of Combat

At Issaquah High School, our teaching artist taught stage combat to a drama class for one period per day for an entire week. Students got to dig into combat and learn to tell a story of violence.

One-Day Scene Coaching

At Shorewood High School, a teaching artist went out for a single day to teach some acting basics and help coach scenes from Romeo and Juliet with a class of freshmen English students.

And More!

Seattle Shakespeare Company residencies can be tailor-made to fit your classroom and your objectives. Don’t see your ideal residency here? Call us! We can create a model that works for you. We do one-hour, one-day, one-month, and all-year models!

Call 206-733-8228 x251 or email email us for help planning your residency.