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Richard Carter

Teacher,
Community Shakespeare Company

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Teacher,
Community Shakespeare Company

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1 to 20 of 44 total

RE: do you teach a Shakespeare class?

Posted By Richard Carter 04-28-2018 20:15
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I teach Shakespeare both inside and outside of school: I run the Community Shakespeare Company on our rural island in Washington State for kids K-12, and also study one or two plays a year in middle school, using the adaptations I wrote for my own company (Community Shakespeare - Enriching Young Lives, ...

RE: You Can't Live Without _________

Posted By Richard Carter 04-09-2017 12:34
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Like you, ten years ago I was asked to start a Drama program, 6-12. (Our district still does not offer elementary drama.) A decade on, we still have no performance space and I rehearse in my English classroom which, luckily, is the largest in secondary. Given a lack of funding, my solution has been to ...

RE: Shakespeare Comedy

Posted By Richard Carter 03-25-2017 16:30
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I have directed all those plays with students, K-12; sometimes in adaptation (younger) and sometimes original text (with my cuts), for grades 7-12. They are all great of course, and fun. I find Much Ado to have a darker side, with its false accusation of "unfaithful" Hero. You have to make some decisions ...

RE: Romeo and Juliet

Posted By Richard Carter 03-11-2017 11:12
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I agree with John completely: high schoolers (and middle schoolers) can routinely perform (& love) Shakespeare, but the readiness is all. R&J does sell tickets, but would not be my first choice to start out with. Comedy can be an easier sell to first time students and easier access. But don't let that ...

RE: Casting my own daughter

Posted By Richard Carter 01-28-2017 06:48
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Hang in there: your daughter is what now? A junior going into the spring play? So she and you have only one more year to face this "problem." Both my son and daughter performed for years in my after-school Shakespeare company. Like everyone else, they worked their way up from such roles as The Turkey ...

RE: Pride and Prejudice?.... or ???? - need advice/suggestions

Posted By Richard Carter 01-26-2017 10:36
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First of all, congratulations Emily! If you can do Footloose, you can do anything. I teach 6-12 drama in public school and run an independent after-school theatre program (Community Shakespeare. My students can do a lot of different stuff, so I've seriously considered Pride & Prejudice. (I like the Jory ...

RE: shakespeare scripts for performance

Posted By Richard Carter 05-20-2016 10:57
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My version is $9.95, no royalties. See Community Shakespeare Company. The adaptation is very faithful and runs about 90 minutes. ------------------------------ Richard Carter Author/Director: Community Shakespeare Company; MS/HS Teacher, Lopez Schools Lopez Island, WA

RE: Theater in the round

Posted By Richard Carter 05-17-2016 10:23
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There's a nice little part of the video Practical Technical Theater Introduction (by Interactive Educational Video) that deals with arena staging. I've directed several plays "in the round," and it's all about playing the diagonals, and keeping the action moving. Give the audience one actor's fact to ...

RE: Abridge Shakespeare

Posted By Richard Carter 05-16-2016 15:17
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My abridged adaptations can be found at: www.communityshakespeare.org FYI, there's a current production of my As You Like It in Kirkland, WA, at: http://www.anewglobe.org/ ------------------------------ Richard Carter Author/Director: Community Shakespeare Company; MS/HS Teacher, Lopez Schools ...

RE: Books on Directing Children's Theatre

Posted By Richard Carter 05-04-2016 10:30
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"Kids Take the Stage," by Lenka Peterson and (her husband) Dan O'Connor. ------------------------------ Richard Carter Author/Director: Community Shakespeare Company; MS/HS Teacher, Lopez Schools Lopez Island, WA

RE: Canadian Plays?

Posted By Richard Carter 04-29-2016 10:45
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Visit Theatrefolk: Canadian author Lindsay Price writes both short and full-length plays specifically for the student population. She is very good and the company (run by her and her husband Craig) showcases other authors, some of whom are likely Canadian. ------------------------------ Richard Carter ...

RE: Complete Wrks W. Shakepeare Abridged - LARGE CAST

Posted By Richard Carter 04-01-2016 10:12
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RE: Complete Wrks W. Shakepeare Abridged - LARGE CAST

Posted By Richard Carter 04-01-2016 10:12
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I did this last fall. Cast list attached. I will tell you, I got in over my head dividing up lines beyond just per character (because I had so many kids). It worked out fine but involved a lot of tracking. You have to consider the thematic through lines of the 3 main characters (e.g. which one keeps ...

RE: Omg! The complete works of Wm Shakespeare (abridged)

Posted By Richard Carter 02-24-2016 01:49
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We just did this show in November. I cut lines like hung like a donkey but used female genitalia and bastards. FYI, my cast ranged from elementary school through adults (not a school program; after school non-profit I direct). I had an honest conversation with both cast members and their parents. I did ...

RE: Becoming A Theatre/Drama Teacher

Posted By Richard Carter 01-17-2016 13:29
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Just dumb luck; or a lifelong trajectory? You decide. I had acted since early childhood, and written plays starting in 5th grade. My undergraduate studies were at Vassar, in the days when Meryl Streep had recently passed through and was just becoming a screen phenomenon, so there was great excitement ...

RE: Just a question - why no full length Shakespeare?

Posted By Richard Carter 01-13-2016 22:11
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1) Sure, kids can (& in some instances should) read, understand and perform Shakespeare in complete, original text. 2) That's not appropriate for every student nor for every teacher, for all the reasons cited already, and more. 3) In my travels, giving workshops on just this subject to teachers ...

RE: Stage Combat

Posted By Richard Carter 01-11-2016 20:43
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If you are in Battleground, WA, I recommend Seattle Shakespeare Company. If farther afield, look @ Shakespeare & Co, Lennox, MA. I can also put you in touch with a certified instructor/combat choreographer, currently in Montana, who might be able to come to you & offer a workshop. ------------------------------ ...

RE: Middle vs high school students - different or not?

Posted By Richard Carter 01-01-2016 16:44
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I really like what has been said here, and I concur. I teach both MS and HS, in public school and outside of school in my community theater company. First, I find that middle school students are much more capable than most people/teachers give them credit for. They can be challenged and stretched. One ...

RE: Cutting of The Tempest

Posted By Richard Carter 12-28-2015 12:56
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Mine is available here: Community Shakespeare Company - . runs about 80 minutes but you can cut it further. The text is somewhat altered, as you will see, but very respectful of the original and perfect for MS or students never exposed to Shakespeare before. ------------------------------ [Richard] ...

RE: Summer classes for theater teachers

Posted By Richard Carter 12-27-2015 14:19
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You might consider anything being offered at Shakespeare & Company in Lennox, MA. It's an easy trip from NYC, to the end of the (Harlem?) line, then they picked us up by van. I use much of what I learned there in acting classes regularly; not specific to Shakespeare at all: acting, diction, breath control, ...