Shakespearean scholarship

Never let an opportunity pass you by is a philosophy teachers regularly work at instilling in the minds of their students.

Wee Waa High School English teacher Jordan McCluskey lives by those words herself and earlier this year applied for one of the converted Bell Shakespeare Company scholarships.

With a great love of Shakespearean drama and the written word, Ms McCluskey was eager to win a place at the converted workshop and she was successful.

The workshop went ahead in March just before strict COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

The Bell Shakespeare Company offered just 15 scholarships for rural and regional English and drama teachers from around Australia to attend the workshop where the focus was to learn more about the great writer and performer, as well as how to teach Shakespeare’s works for greatest student engagement.

The four day training course consisted of specialised training in both practical training for teaching of Shakespeare’s many plays, as well as theory components analysing Shakespeare’s life and death.

Each day of the course there was a large physical component which showed Ms McCluskey and the other participating teachers how to implement a more active approach to drama in the classroom.

“We played many games, and learnt skills that we could easily transfer into a range of lessons within our schools.”

Another highlight of the workshop program was a visit to the NSW State Library where Ms McCluskey got a tour of the ‘Shakespeare Room’ and access a rare copy of The First Folio.

“The First Folio was published in 1623, eight years after Shakespeare’s death,” said Ms McCluskey.

 “Apart from the Bible, this volume is now considered the most influential book ever published in the English language. It’s the only copy in Australia.”

“Another great opportunity was the opportunity to view the Bell Shakespeare company’s production of ‘Hamlet’ on the opening night at the Sydney Opera House.”