Bell Shakespeare’s Othello: Intimate and Intense.

“Is she real?” a student asks, pointing to the seemingly lifeless figure draped on a solitary box centre stage. No one seems quite certain. Giant, monolithic pillars line the edge of the stage, closing the space in a way that could only be described as claustrophobic. The question of the solitary figure is answered as she rolls over, sits up and leaves the stage. The house lights dim and thus begins Bell Shakespeare’s 2016 production of Othello.

Shakespeare Film Adaptation Recommendations

I love Shakespeare plays, and I love their movie adaptations. There are some truly excellent adaptations out there, including Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968), Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night (1996) and Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff’s Hamlet (1994, also goes by the title “The Lion King”). There’s been some stinkers, as well (Julie Taymor’s Tempest springs to mind). Here’s my recommendations, including retellings and classroom suitability.

Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives in Shakespeare Units

In 1979, two Mandildjara people made news headlines after they died and, as many reports put it, brought an end to the Aboriginal nomadic lifestyle. Warri and Yatungka fled their tribes to live off the land after eloping and breaking tribal law. They loved each other but were denied the chance to marry by their own families so they took matters in their own hands. Sound familiar? Warri and Yatungka were called the Aboriginal Romeo and Juliet. Their story is about undying love and tribes that forbid it. As Australian educators, it is important we are incorporating indigenous perspectives into our lessons, not just because the Board of Studies requires us to, but because our students need to develop a respect and understanding for our traditional cultures. This can often be difficult, and many teachers tend to tack it on for the sake of it. When it comes to Shakespeare, however, incorporating indigenous perspectives should not be something that causes stress but rather comes naturally when studying stories with such universality.

My Classroom!

One of the great things about teaching in a small school is my own classroom. I do share it with the Language teacher every second year, but she’s my wife, so I need to deal with it. Spending 7-8 hours a day in the same room can be a little dull though. Over the years I’ve overcome this by changing up posters, moving furniture and the like. Last week, though, I had had enough. I was sick of my room and something needed to be done. The clutter needed to go. I needed more colour. I needed a space I wanted to be in, and a space my students wanted to be in as well. Armed with a pot of Mykonos Blue, some timber and a head full of ideas, I set out on my mission of classroom improvement.

The Bookshelf Tag

This looked fun so I thought I’d give it a go – here’s everything you wanted to know (and plenty you didn’t) about my bookshelves!

15 Things I’ve Learned About Teaching

I’ve been a teacher for over 10 years now and like many jobs, the more you do it, the better you get. I’ve got a long way to go before I’d consider myself a great teacher, but here’s 15 things I’ve learned on the way.

Why Shakespeare?

Shakespeare has often been a dirty word in the English classroom, for teachers who have little theatrical training and students who struggle to understand a language barely recognisable to them. The question must be asked then, why teach Shakespeare’s works to begin with? If one were to look back on the rich history of English literature, there are two works that stand out in their significance, richness of language and commentary on the human condition. They are, of course, The King James Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare. It’s very easy to say that Shakespeare’s work is the greatest written in the English language – certainly the richness of language and universality of his themes make him a contender. But let’s not be naive here – better stories were written before and after Shakespeare, and universal themes work because they are universal. So why specifically Shakespeare?