Shakespeare

Harlem Academy students study "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in sixth grade and "Romeo and Juliet" in eighth grade. The performance-driven curriculum inspires students to engage deeply, because they are motivated as actors to read closely and grasp the underlying relationships between characters. 

The program includes a weeklong workshop with professional actors from the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Actors work with students for one week to explore a play's themes and its use of language to express character and plot. As a final project, students prepare and perform scenes for an audience of parents and peers.

 

Students can also opt to take our Shakespeare elective, which meets three times a week and allows students to perform a full-length play. Recent selections have included “Macbeth,” “The Comedy of Errors,” and “Othello.”