bell shakespeare 2009 learning report

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EDUCATION REPORT 2009

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PREPARED by LINDA LORENzA, HEAD Of EDUCATION DECEmbER 2009

EDUCATION REPORT 2009

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 07

THEATRE PRODUCTIONS 09

THE ALCHEmIST 11

PERICLES 13THE TAmINg Of THE SHREw 15

VENUS & ADONIS 17

REgIONAL TOURINg EDUCATION INITIATIVES 19REgIONAL ACCESS STUDENT wORKSHOPS 21

REgIONAL PERfORmANCE SCHOLARSHIP 23

THEATRE fORUmS 25

mEET bELL SHAKESPEARE 27

SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS 29ACTORS AT wORK 31

STUDENT wORKSHOPS ON SHAKESPEARE TEXTS 39

PROfESSIONAL LEARNINg 43TEACHER wORKSHOPS 44

REgIONAL TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP 47

TEACHER fORUmS 48

SPECIAL PROJECTS 49

RESOURCES 53EDUCATION REfERENCE NETwORK 55

2009 STATISTICAL SUmmARy 57

AbOUT bELL SHAKESPEARE 612009 PARTNERS 62TOURINg AUSTRALIA 64ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP 66

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INTRODUCTION

2009 educational activities presented by Bell Shakespeare reached further into regional and remote schools and communities than ever before, with the support of the Federal Government, corporate partners and philanthropic trusts and foundations. The range of our work this year reached some of the more isolated communities in locations such as Cape York, Thursday Island, Groote Eylandt, Woomera, Kalgoorlie and even King Island with the Actors At Work teams undertaking 23 full days of travel in their 56 weeks of touring as opposed to just 8 days of travel in the 51 weeks of the programme in 2008. 45,898 metropolitan students and teachers and 28,476 regional students and teachers engaged with Bell Shakespeare through the year’s performances, interactive programmes and Professional Development programmes specifically for teachers. There were 27,242 views of the national Make A Scene Competition website and 12,377 interactions with our education facility online.

In theatres across Australia Bell Shakespeare presented Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist, and William Shakespeare’s Pericles and The Taming Of The Shrew. The three Actors At Work teams gave a total of 539 performances. Again these unique and vibrant one-hour performances of contemporary, relevant and energetic interpretations of Shakespeare were adored by the students for whom they were created. The 12 actors in this programme drove approximately 25,000 kilometres between them taking the same captivating interpretations of Shakespeare to the best-resourced and most poorly-equipped metropolitan, regional and remote schools nationwide.

4,413 students explored Shakespeare’s plays through the practical Student Workshops programme. 209 teachers participated in Professional Development programmes across the country. The Regional Access Student Workshops, which toured to regional locations ahead of The Taming Of The Shrew, reached 1,601 students.

148 young people auditioned for the Regional Performance Scholarship. Work-experience-oriented programmes and special competitions such as Make A Scene, saw involvement from students across the country. Bell Shakespeare’s commitment to creating access to live theatre for all Australians has continued in 2009 with the considerable increase in distances travelled by Actors At Work, opportunities for a variety of groups to attend our performances in theatres through initiatives such as Hearts In A Row*, and our ongoing development of diverse platforms for social inclusion through explorations of Shakespeare’s works. Unique experiences included the Regional Teacher Scholarship, Remote Residencies and the Clemente Catalyst programme.

Bell Shakespeare highly values its partnerships with all the organisations that supported our education programmes in 2009 including Optus; BHP Billiton; J.P. Morgan; Australian Unity; Boeing; AUSTAR; Wesfarmers Arts; Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation; Colonial Foundation; The Ian Potter Foundation; Macquarie Group Foundation; The Scully Fund; Oliver-Affleck Fund; Collier Charitable Fund; Besen Family Foundation; Australia Council for the Arts; Playing Australia; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations; Arts NSW; Arts SA; NSW Department of Education and Training; Arts QLD; and ACT Department of Education and Training.

The support of these organisations enables our popular education initiatives to continue and expand, and assists us in maintaining affordable ticket prices.

(*A separate report is available upon request.)

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THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

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THE ALCHEmIST A co-production with QueenslAnd theAtre compAny By bEN JONSON directed By JOHN bELL with PATRICK DICKSON And ANDREw TIgHE

While the cat’s away, the mice will play!

Lovewit left the city and a menagerie of shady characters – a conman, a hooker and one very bored domestic helper – took over his home, creating hoopla for their own amusement and gain.

Face, the servant, and his two friends, Subtle and Dol Common, juggled scams like plates on sticks! They averted suspicion with their wits brandished like swords! Audiences witnessed the alchemy of love and the world’s rightful order restored when the master returned to unravel the mayhem.

This was a show about the vices and vagaries of human nature, told through the antics of a trio of scammers including a charlatan disguised as an alchemist. Urban, fast-paced and vibrant, Ben Jonson’s greatest comedy revelled in the zest for life among the bottom-feeders. Directed by John Bell, and featuring Patrick Dickson as Subtle and Andrew Tighe as Face, this was schtick in the city at its hardcore and hilarious best.

The Alchemist schools matinee performances were as follows:

Venue Dates Student Attendance

Sydney Opera House Playhouse

25 March, 1 April 389

Canberra Theatre Centre The Playhouse

30 April, 5 May 320

TOTAL 4 performances 709

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PERICLES By wILLIAm SHAKESPEARE directed By JOHN bELL with mARCUS gRAHAm And JOHN gADEN in AssociAtion with TAIKOz

Marcus Graham, one of Australia’s most charismatic actors, returned to the Bell Shakespeare stage as Pericles, the man at the mercy of fate. He had discovered a sordid secret involving his bride-to-be and her father, the King. Assassins were unleashed. Pericles was pursued into exile where he was battered by the winds of misfortune, finding love and family, only to lose both. He was shipwrecked and encountered pirates, pimps, people brought back from the dead…

Bell Shakespeare was joined by the sensational Australian drumming ensemble TaikOz, enhancing the play’s inherent spirituality and mystical energy.

With a cast that included John Gaden as the Storyteller, director John Bell brought this notoriously ambitious work to the stage as a physical, fast-paced, adult fairytale.

A beacon for uncertain times, Pericles is a story of optimism in the face of fate and of hope in the midst of tragedy.

Pericles schools matinee performances were as follows:


Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre

2, 29 July 454

the Arts Centre – Melbourne Playhouse

11 August 223


NB These figures do not include student attendance at evening public performances.

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THE TAmINg Of THE SHREw By wILLIAm SHAKESPEARE directed By mARION POTTS

Disco balls, karaoke and a daring all-female cast told the story of a woman no ‘man’ could contain. While Lucentio fixed his gaze on sweet and gentle Bianca, Petruchio set his sights on Bianca’s wanton sister, Kate, and vowed to tame her.

Directed by Marion Potts (Othello, Hamlet, Venus & Adonis), this new production of Shakespeare’s controversial comedy took the politics of marriage to ludicrous heights. Witty, energetic and packed with female punch, The Taming Of The Shrew was certainly a night out for anyone who has ever fallen in love – and managed to survive it.

The Taming Of The Shrew schools performances were as follows:

Location Dates Student Attendance

Bathurst NSW 19 June 395

Wollongong NSW 23, 25 June 1,018

Gosford NSW 30 July 130

Orange NSW 5 August 191

Warragul VIC 18 August 286

Nunawading VIC 21 August 320

Sale VIC 28 August 157

Ringwood VIC 11 September 370

Canberra Theatre Centre The Playhouse

13 October 600

Sydney Opera House Playhouse

28 October, 4, 11,18 November

1,577

TOTAL 14 performances 5,044

NB These figures do not include student attendance at evening public performances.

The Taming Of The Shrew toured to the following 33 regional locations:

New South Wales – Bathurst, Wollongong, Port Macquarie, Lismore, Gosford, Wagga Wagga, Orange, Penrith, Albury, Newcastle Northern Territory – Darwin, Alice SpringsVictoria – Mildura, Bendigo, Warragul, Nunawading, Dandenong, Shepparton, Sale, Frankston, RingwoodSouth Australia – Mt Gambier, Renmark, Tanunda, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Port LincolnTasmania – Launceston, Hobart Queensland – Caloundra, Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns

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VENUS & ADONIS By wILLIAm SHAKESPEARE directed By mARION POTTS

A co-production with Malthouse Melbourne, developed through Mind’s Eye, presented by Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare

The story is simple. Goddess meets Boy, Goddess wants Boy, Goddess (in Shakespeare’s version) doesn’t get Boy; instead he turns into a Flower. Of course Shakespeare knows that life is never quite that straightforward – he gives people what they want but also more than they bargain for.

In a sparkling new response to Shakespeare’s most popular poem, Venus is a woman with a past who is having trouble with her future. Venus & Adonis was directed by Bell Shakespeare’s Associate Artistic Director Marion Potts and starred Melissa Madden Gray and Susan Prior as the Hydra-headed Venus who is ardent, wilful, wanton, terrifying... but also wondering where the hell she’s heading. Desire is only half the story...

Following a positive response to this new work at the Malthouse in Melbourne in 2008, this 2009 season was co-presented with Sydney Theatre Company as part of its Next Stage programme.

Venus & Adonis schools matinee performances were as follows:


Wharf 2, Sydney Theatre Company

19, 25 February 258


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REgIONAL TOURINg EDUCATION INITIATIVES

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REgIONAL ACCESS STUDENT wORKSHOPS

Bell Shakespeare’s 2009 Regional Access Student Workshops ran in regional centres in conjunction with the national tour of The Taming Of The Shrew. A total of 64 Regional Access Student Workshops reached 1,601 students across Australia.

The 2009 Bell Shakespeare Arts Educators who conducted the Regional Access Student Workshops were Kerreen Ely-Harper, Julia Davis, James Evans, Paul Reichstein, Christopher Tomkinson, Fred Copperwaite and Matt Edgerton.

Bell Shakespeare’s Regional Access Student Workshop programme has been presented annually in the weeks prior to the national touring production’s arrival in the regional centre. Students participated in the interactive The Taming Of The Shrew Workshop, in which they were introduced to the design concepts for the production and ideas regarding the ways the script might be interpreted. Students even had the opportunity to explore some of the approaches used by the cast in practical script-based activities presented in the workshop. For students in regional schools this interactive experience enhances their involvement with the production and helps them to develop a greater understanding of Shakespeare’s plays. Regional teachers appreciate this invaluable resource which gives their students a new confidence in being part of a theatre audience and advances their exploration of Shakespeare’s works in the classroom.

“The experience was awesome and insightful. We learnt a lot about Shakespeare and rehearsal technique. We learnt not to be too hard on ourselves.” Sueanne Matthews, Teacher, Temora High School, NSW

The Regional Access Workshops also help to develop young people’s responses to the world around them by giving them access to the diverse and differing influences, cultures and opinions that are explored in the development of a theatrical production.

“Highly entertaining – providing the students with numerous opportunities to enjoy and relate to the play.” Laura Barbuto, Teacher, Lilydale High School, VIC

State/ Territory

Number of free The Taming Of

The Shrew workshops

Number of students

NSW 13 387

NT 3 56

SA 15 319

QLD 7 215

TAS 7 155

VIC 18 454

WA 0 0

ACT 1 15

TOTAL 64 1,601

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bELL SHAKESPEARE REgIONAL PERfORmANCE SCHOLARSHIPin memory oF NELL HOURN supported By COLONIAL fOUNDATION

2009 was the ninth year of the increasingly popular Bell Shakespeare Regional Performance Scholarship. 148 young people from around Australia auditioned for this unique opportunity. These auditions occurred in regional centres following the Regional Access Student Workshops which were presented in advance of the national tour of The Taming Of The Shrew. As in 2008, auditions were also held at Youth Theatre groups in some regional centres.

Each auditionee was given a 15-minute individual masterclass in which they had the opportunity to perform their audition monologue up to three times with direction from the arts educator conducting the audition. The Arts Educators taking the auditions made directorial suggestions appropriate to each candidate’s own individual strengths. Every candidate gained a greater sense of accomplishment through the deeper exploration of character and plot achieved in the audition itself.

Each individual student’s own drive and determination was noted in the audition and being selected to audition was the first acknowledgement of this effort. Winning a coveted place in the Regional Performance Scholarship is, of course, the ultimate acknowledgement of their talent and work for these talented young people.

Arts Educators who auditioned the students in 2009 were Kerreen Ely-Harper, James Evans, Christopher Tomkinson, Paul Reichstein, Fred Copperwaite, Julia Davis, Sam Smith and Matt Edgerton.

By the end of November 2009, 12 students had been short-listed for the 2009 Regional Performance Scholarship. The 2009 Scholarship recipients were Clara Solly-Slade, Mahala Wallace and Andrew Johnston. Clara Solly-Slade from Faith Lutheran Secondary School, Tanunda SA auditioned at Brenton Langbein Theatre in Tanunda. Mahala Wallace from Townsville Grammar School, QLD auditioned at the Civic Theatre in Townsville, whilst Andrew Johnston from St Catherine’s College, Singleton NSW auditioned at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle.

In January 2010 Clara, Mahala and Andrew travelled to Sydney for one week of intensive workshops and masterclasses and time in the rehearsal room with the cast of King Lear as they prepared for the 2010 season.

Photo opposite: John Bell with 2008 Scholarship recipients Laura Hartnell, William Haines and Ryan Mitchell

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THEATRE fORUmS

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mEET bELL SHAKESPEARE

Meet Bell Shakespeare is a free in-theatre forum for patrons held early in each season. Open to the general public, each Meet Bell Shakespeare forum runs for approximately one hour and is a unique introduction to the production. Teachers and students are encouraged to attend Meet Bell Shakespeare to meet the director, members of the creative team and members of the cast. Those who attend these forums gain an inside knowledge of the directorial concept and designer’s vision.

Meet Bell Shakespeare dates for 2009 were as follows:

Production Dates Venue Audience

The Alchemist 24 March Sydney Opera House Playhouse

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The Alchemist 29 April Canberra Theatre Centre The Playhouse

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Pericles 7 July Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre

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Pericles 12 August the Arts Centre – Melbourne Playhouse

145

The Taming Of The Shrew

8 October Canberra Theatre Centre The Playhouse

101

The Taming Of The Shrew

27 October Sydney Opera House Playhouse

103

TOTAL 6 Forums 719

RESEARCH – looking to the audience of the future

TheatreSpace – Accessing the Cultural Conversation

TheatreSpace commenced in 2008 and is a four-year, $3.3 million-dollar research project investigating young people (aged 14 to 24) as audiences in NSW, QLD and VIC. The research comprises two parts: case study research and longitudinal analysis. Bell Shakespeare is one of the arts organisation partners providing two productions (spaced one year apart) for study, each of which forms a case study in the research. The research team is using a variety of data collection methods to gain information about the young people who attend these productions. Participants include any 14 to 24 year old who attends the production on the night under study. In 2008 the Bell Shakespeare Case Study was undertaken at an evening performance of Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary at Sydney Opera House. The initial results, provided in 2009, indicated that family plays a critical part in the theatre-going life of the young

person. Parents and grandparents can be key determiners as they are the ones who may select the production and purchase the tickets. The young people in this first case study all had some level of theatre literacy and made some useful and well-considered comments:

“I like analysing theatre after I’ve seen it. It makes me feel like I’m appreciating it more.”

“You’re at the movies and you just want to stop your brain working for a little while, give it a rest, but in the theatre... you still need to be thinking about it.”

In 2010 we will continue our study with the TheatreSpace project and review the responses of a further group of young people attending a Bell Shakespeare production.

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SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS

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NSw VIC SA/wA

Ben Gerrard

Megan O’Connell

Gemma Pranita

Damien Strouthos

George Banders Scott Marcus

Charmaine Gorman Fiona Pepper

Shaun Goss Sam Smith

Sarah Ogden Miranda Tapsell

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ACTORS AT wORK

In 2009, three Actors At Work teams of four actors toured into schools in every state and territory. With the continued support of DEEWR and the SA Government, the third team was maintained in 2009 to focus on SA, WA and the NT. The members of the 2009 Actors At Work professional acting company were:

NSw Ben Gerrard Megan O’Connell Gemma Pranita Damien Strouthos

VIC George Banders Charmaine Gorman Shaun Goss Sarah Ogden

SA/wA Scott Marcus Fiona Pepper Sam Smith Miranda Tapsell

Bell Shakespeare is committed to creating access to live theatre for Australian students regardless of the demands of the country’s challenging geography. Three Actors At Work teams, each comprising four energetic young actors, were on the road from March to October in the 2009 school year. A total of 61,970 students across the country experienced live performances of Shakespeare in 2009 via Actors At Work including those in places as isolated as Thursday Island, Tennant Creek, Groote Eylandt and Woomera. Unlike any previous year, a total of 23 days were occupied by travel alone to reach some of the regional and remote locations on the tour. These locations also have much smaller student populations than those found in metropolitan schools. Taking Actors At Work to these young people is vital to their academic and social education and is most certainly worth the investment of the supporters who have enabled Bell Shakespeare to reach these locations in 2009.

John Sheedy was engaged to direct the Melbourne-based VIC team in Love’s Magic, Trick Or Treat and Macbeth Intensive. Damien Ryan directed the Sydney-based NSW team in Love’s Magic, Hamlet Intensive and Macbeth Intensive. Resident Artist in Education, Matt Edgerton, directed the SA/WA team based out of Adelaide and Perth in Macbeth Intensive whilst Wayne Blair directed the SA/WA team in a new piece for 2009, Romeo And Juliet Intensive. Following a rigorous rehearsal period, all three teams performed the programmes created for the 2009 tour by playwright Ned Manning.

For many young people, Actors At Work continues to be their first experience of Shakespeare and live performance. “It was very beneficial for my students as most of them have never seen any live theatre. It was very well done,” said Coby McQuiggin, a teacher at John Forrest Senior High School, Morely WA. Bearing this in mind we aim to maintain a vibrant programme every year. The youthful energy of the actors and the style of the content in the Actors At Work programme attracts first-timers to Shakespeare, live performance and the idea of theatre. Teachers find Actors At Work an effective tool with which to inspire their students’ exploration of Shakespeare’s work.

The Actors At Work scripts are carefully crafted in order to present Shakespeare’s characters in a real and relevant light for students, validating young people’s own experiences today as they discover the similarities in the lives of the characters in the world of a Shakespeare play. Shakespeare wrote plays which demonstrate experiences of love, hate, joy, excitement and sorrow, reflecting the emotions felt by young people today.

“Absolutely brilliant! The energy of the performers was incredible. The students were captivated from the first line onwards. Great fun for us all! The students left the theatre enthused – all the jokes and laughter aside, they could see the important and RELEVANT themes of the play and the dilemmas faced by these characters.

For them, the Bard was brought to life. Sarah, George, Charmaine and Shaun, thank you so much – you were brilliant!” Michelle Gillespie, Teacher, Townsville Grammar School, QLD

Every year Australian students see reflections of themselves in the Actors At Work performances – love and lust felt by characters such as Romeo and Juliet; confusion in family relationships as felt by Hermia and her father Egeus, and by Juliet at her parents’ demands; and the isolation experienced by Hamlet.

“Years 7 and 8 giggled a lot at the kissing stuff – and fell for Romeo. Years 9 and 10 liked the unpacking of language so they could understand it. Years 10, 11 and 12 were engaged by the murder/mystery of Macbeth.” Janet Gwid, Teacher, Gilmore College for Girls, VIC

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ACTORS AT wORK PROgRAmmES 2009

SHAKESPEARE INTENSIVE PROgRAmmE

mACbETH INTENSIVE (All states and territories) ‘Let not light see my black and deep desires’ Macbeth 1:4

Suitable for Years 9 – 11

An exploration of some of Macbeth’s most dramatic and exhilarating scenes, Macbeth Intensive brought to life the language, imagery and theatricality of Shakespeare’s masterpiece.

Students witnessed the actor’s process, mining the text for clues about character and character relationships. They experienced differences in interpretation and saw a wealth of thematic complexities revealed: the moral dilemma; the corrupting influence of power and ambition; the agenda of war and destruction; and the nature of trust and betrayal.

ROmEO AND JULIET INTENSIVE (SA, WA, NT ONLY) ‘Here’s much to do with Hate, but more with Love’ Romeo And Juliet 1:1


Romeo And Juliet remains one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and easily lends itself to contemporary and historic contexts.

This new Intensive programme explored the family relationships, rites of passage and young love facing cultural odds in Australia today.

HAmLET INTENSIVE (NSW ONLY) ‘But I have that within which passes show – These but the trappings and the suits of woe’ Hamlet 1:2


This exploration of Hamlet was specifically designed to support senior students’ critical study of text. The performance explored key moments of the play and led students into the language and nuances of Shakespeare’s most famous depressed and procrastinating youth.

Students discovered the depth of Shakespeare’s literary and dramatic expertise in this masterful script brimming with antithesis and word play.

gENERAL SHAKESPEARE PROgRAmmE

LOVE’S mAgIC (ACT, VIC, NSW, QLD, TAS) Scenes from Romeo And Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream ‘Think but this, and all is mended’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5:1


An intelligent and entertaining introduction to Shakespeare in performance, Love’s Magic explored the soaring heights and plummeting depths to which love can take us. The twists and turns in this one-hour performance journeyed through a world of comic possibilities, plot complications and theatrical surprises.

TRICK OR TREAT (VIC, QLD, TAS ONLY) Scenes from Twelfth Night and The Merchant Of Venice ‘I am all the daughters of my father’s house, And all the brothers too’ Twelfth Night 2:4


Family folly and foibles, disguise and digression are rife in these two plays where women don the pants and outwit men. In these plays Shakespeare entertains us with characters’ confusion of mind and appearance. Students will see the rivalry of men and women, and the tricks of disguise used by characters determined to have their own way.

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ACTORS AT wORK SPECIAL PROJECTS 2009Bell Shakespeare’s mission has always included enabling all students, regardless of their geographic or socio-demographic situation, to access live performance of Shakespeare. The reach of the Actors At Work programme has been further extended through the sixth year of the Interactive Distance Learning Project.

INTERACTIVE DISTANCE LEARNINg PROJECT (IDL)

Since the introduction of IDL in 2004, the two-way satellite has been used annually to deliver real-time streaming video and two-way live interaction between the Actors At Work in the studio and students in remote locations.

To date the IDL broadcast has enabled students in regional and isolated parts of NSW and the NT to study Shakespeare with the assistance of the live performance of Shakespeare through the Bell Shakespeare Actors At Work in-schools programme. In 2009 we again presented the Actors At Work in performance at the Northern Territory Open Education Centre (NTOEC) facility in Darwin and, for the first time, a performance was given at, and broadcast from, the Alice Springs School of the Air.

Small rural communities and isolated homesteads throughout the NT have enjoyed the Actors At Work programme through the shared broadband IDL communications infrastructure established by this project. This infrastructure is able to deliver education services, including live Actors At Work performances, to School of the Air, Distance Education students and students living in isolated indigenous communities and on remote homesteads.

Bell Shakespeare’s Actors At Work travelled to the Darwin studio and presented the fourth annual live theatre experience through the facility at NTOEC. NT remote schools and communities across the IDL network logged in for the performance, including:

NT Open Education Centre remote students Batchelor Area School

Jabiru Area School

Woolaning School

Maningrida Continuing Education Centre

Sheperdson Continuing Education Centre

Katherine High School

The first IDL broadcast by Actors At Work from Alice Springs School of the Air reached students in the southern areas of the NT and students on-site at

Katherine School of the Air. Prior to the performance the actors told the viewing audience the story of Romeo And Juliet. Students at Katherine had seen Actors At Work in previous years through the NTOEC broadcast and even live when the Actors At Work visited Katherine in 2008, but for the Alice Springs School of the Air students in other locations, this was their very first experience of live performance of Shakespeare.

fAR wEST NEw SOUTH wALES TOUR

For the sixth consecutive year, Bell Shakespeare chartered a small aeroplane to take Actors At Work to the far west of the state. This year we were joined by ABC Arts producer Jo Chichester and a two-man crew from ABC Arts who documented the tour in a 16-minute story that aired nationally on ABC 1 and ABC 2 in October 2009. This can be accessed in its entirety at www.abc.net.au/tv/sundayarts/txt/Sunday11October2009.htm

The locations on the tour included Cobar, Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Bourke, Willyama, Brewarrina and Menindee. Bell Shakespeare provided the Actors At Work performances to the schools free of charge with a request for assistance with ground support and for students to make a gold coin donation, helping them to understand that producing live theatre involves real cost.

Teachers and students – some familiar with the programme through the tour in previous years, some new to the concept – welcomed the sixth year of the tour enthusiastically. The Bell Shakespeare actors found this a truly unique experience, realising the immeasurable value of the programme of which they were such an integral part.

NORTHERN TERRITORy TOUR TO ALICE SPRINgS, TI TREE, TENNANT CREEK, NEwCASTLE wATERS, KATHERINE AND bESwICK

Following the passionate response to visits from Actors At Work in 2008 by some schools in these more remote locations, we were pleased to secure support to expand this tour to include additional remote schools in the NT. The 2009 SA/WA Actors At Work with Resident Artist In Education, Matt Edgerton and former Actor At Work, now Home And Away actor, Amy Mathews, travelled to schools in Alice Springs, Ti Tree, Tennant Creek, Newcastle Waters, Katherine and Beswick in a solid two-week tour of the NT. Practical workshops presented by Matt and Amy introduced the students to Shakespeare’s characters and the plots in the stories they were about to see in performance. Active participation by the Actors At Work in these workshops encouraged the students to take part and, and when they saw the Actors At Work perform, the students recognised the characters and stories they had just played themselves.

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This year the SA/WA Actors At Work team included Miranda Tapsell, a recipient of the 2004 Bell Shakespeare Regional Performance Scholarship. Miranda has now graduated from NIDA and successfully auditioned for Bell Shakespeare to join the Actors At Work programme. A young Indigenous actor from the NT, her involvement provided a remarkable example and role model to young people in the schools she visited. Her enthusiasm and warmth alongside her talent and that of her fellow actors enlightened the minds of many remote NT students this year, encouraging them to consider their own storytelling culture and what path they might choose to follow in the future.

ACTORS AT wORK ACCESSIbILITy PROgRAmmE fOR DISADVANTAgED SCHOOLS

As part of Bell Shakespeare’s goal to continue to make live performance of Shakespeare available to all students in Australia in 2009, subsidised, discounted or free of charge Actors At Work performances were made available to some schools disadvantaged by minimal numbers of students, geographical isolation and low socio-economic demographic. Opportunities for these students are made possible through the generous and ongoing support of corporate partners, philanthropic trusts and foundations, and individual donors.

ACTORS AT wORK STATISTICS 2009

Total Number of Schools 329

Total Number of Touring Weeks 56

Total travel days without any performances 23

Metropolitan

Total Number of Independent Schools 84

Total Number of Catholic Schools 47

Total Number of Government Schools 70

Regional

Total Number of Independent Schools 29

Total Number of Catholic Schools 19

Total Number of Government Schools 80

Audience geographical breakdown was as follows:

State Schools Student Audience

ACT M 10 2,201

NSW MNSW R

7645

15,1468,354

NT R 18 2,337

QLD MQLD R

1916

3,3852,482

SA MSA R

20 18

4,1702,405

TAS MTAS R

89

1,8781,801

VIC MVIC R

3911

8,5092,069

WA MWA R

2911

5,734 1,499

M SCHOOLSR SCHOOLS

201128

41,02320,947

TOTAL SCHOOLS

TOTAL STUDENTS

TOTAL

329

61,970

539

M = Metropolitan R = Regional

PERFORMANCES

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ACTORS AT wORK fEEDbACK 2009

“Fabulous! Engaging and relevant – all our students would have benefitted from this insightful programme.” Debbie Williams, Teacher, Inaburra School, Bangor, NSW

“A highly professional, energetic and interesting performance which brought the plays to life. To see teenage boys captivated by Shakespeare is a delight for English teachers!” Emily Fitzsimons, Teacher, St Peters College, Adelaide, SA

“Excellent – the discussion of motivation and the two interpretations of the same scene were extremely valuable. The linking to today’s politicians and history’s tyrannical figures was a great way to link and give meaning to our students. I can only say ditto. Both my year 11 and year 12 classes are able to use it. Well done!” Barbara Quast, Teacher, Murray Bridge High School, SA

“It was fabulous! Thanks so much for coming to our school. The performers were approachable and it was a witty and well prepared production. There was a real “buzz” about the place afterwards. Many favourable staff comments and in general students from all ages loved it.” Claire Woods, Jamestown Community School, SA

“It was wonderful! And the feedback from the students has been fantastic. It is always a most positive introduction to Shakespeare and the students love the energy and the humour of this performance. And they can be a tough audience! Every year I love watching the students arrive at the show – suspecting the worst (it’s Shakespeare after all!) But then, within five minutes, they become so involved and spend the next 50 minutes being reeled further and further into the whole experience. It is indeed magic!! Thank you, thank you!” Prue Sawyer, Teacher, Crusoe College, Kangaroo Flat, VIC

“Today the year 11 and 12 students from my school ‘Moranbah State High School’ had the amazing opportunity to watch Romeo & Juliet starring 4 amazing actors. It was fantastic. Everything about it was enjoyable and hilarious.” Gavin Wakefield, Student, Moranbah High School, QLD

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STUDENT wORKSHOPS ON SHAKESPEARE TEXTS

Practical interaction with the text is vital for students to come to terms with the depth and detail in Shakespeare’s works. Bell Shakespeare Student Workshops are devised in consultation with the class teacher to ensure that the material covered is of the greatest use and stimulus to the students. Student Workshops provide teachers with an alternative to the performance experience. These are ideal for smaller groups of older students.

Participating in text-based practical activities enhances students’ learning. Approaches are selected specifically to help students gain a greater understanding of Shakespeare’s language and the variety of ways in which his works can be interpreted. Examining the script from a theatrical perspective enables the students to visualise the work and to gain confidence in exploring Shakespeare’s language, themes, characters and relationships. Through this interactive experimental experience students recognise and appreciate Shakespeare as performance and as a viable reflection of human relationships, often similar to their own experience.

Bell Shakespeare Student Workshops were conducted in various schools across Australia in 2009. Bell Shakespeare Arts Educators make direct contact with the class teacher prior to each workshop to establish the particular needs of the students and intended outcomes of the study. This enables us to focus the workshop on these needs and results in numerous benefits to students.

STUDENT wORKSHOPS – REgIONAL AND REmOTE

Bell Shakespeare worked with schools in regional and metropolitan areas across all state and territories. In NSW Bell Shakespeare worked with schools in the Wagga Wagga and Deniliquin region to present workshops on Shakespeare texts being studied by students in Years 9 and 10 as well as students undertaking Shakespeare texts for the HSC. Students from different schools, but studying the same play, were brought together for the special workshops. Plays included Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In order to present interactive workshops in remote locations we undertake a series of activities through a remote residency programme (see Remote Residencies, page 41).

2009 Student Workshops:

State Number of Workshops

Number of Students

NSW M 29 1,040

NSW R 17 600

*NT 46 1,399

SA 7 252

VIC M 12 319

VIC R 10 383

ACT 5 190

*QLD 8 145

TAS 0 0

WA 5 85

*TOTAL 139 4,413

M = Metropolitan R = Regional

*Includes Remote Residencies

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REmOTE RESIDENCIES

“Thank you again for allowing our students to engage in this learning opportunity. It was amazing to see students from years 8 – 12 so excited and enthusiastic about live performance of this nature. Only some of our students access Shakespeare texts during their course of study here at the Secondary Campus. These workshops and performances have enabled us to expose ALL of our students to his works. Matt and the team were great with our group, encouraging them in workshops and even throwing in some local lingo in the performances (which the students LOVED). All of your colleagues showed an interest in the cultural backgrounds of our students and this made a big difference.” Jodi Tallon, Head Teacher English, Tagai State College, Thursday Island, QLD

In 2009 Bell Shakespeare took pairs of Arts Educators to remote schools for one and two week-long residency programmes in the following locations:

Nhulunbuy, NT: An across-schools programme to explore Shakespeare’s work with an after-school Drama programme, weekend teacher and adult training workshops and final community performance Arts Educators: Julia Davis, Fred Copperwaite

Thursday Island, QLD: An exploration of Romeo And Juliet and Macbeth through interactive workshops and live performance at Tagai State College Arts Educators: Matt Edgerton, Amy Mathews with the Actors At Work

Coen, Cape York, QLD A re-telling of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and an exploration of Romeo And Juliet and Macbeth through interactive workshops and live performance by Actors At Work

Introduction of Drama-based activities for the Ready to Learn programme being introduced by Cape York Partnerships in Term 4 2009 Arts Educators: Matt Edgerton, Amy Mathews with the Actors At Work

Hopevale, Cape York, QLD An introduction to Shakespeare in the community including a re-telling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and an exploration of Romeo And Juliet and Macbeth through interactive workshops and live performance by Actors At Work

Introduction of Drama-based activities for the Ready to Learn programme being introduced by Cape York Partnerships in Term 4 2009 Arts Educators: Matt Edgerton, Amy Mathews with the Actors At Work

The activities undertaken led participants into the world of Shakespeare’s plays and gave them the opportunity to explore drama, performance and storytelling in a practical and entertaining programme, unique to each locality. Bell Shakespeare Arts Educators liaised by conference call with relevant teachers and guardians in advance of the residency to establish a mutual understanding of reasonable aims and aspirations for the programme. Plays and activities were then carefully devised to suit the agreed needs of the different locations.

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PROfESSIONAL LEARNINg

Photo opposite: RTS recipients in the Macbeth Workshop

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TEACHER wORKSHOPS

“I think actually doing the activities really helps me internalise so I can teach the subject better later. I am definitely going to use some of the activities.” Rhonda Martindale, Campbell High School, ACT

Bell Shakespeare’s Professional Learning programmes provide teachers with training and inspiration to use practical approaches when working with Shakespeare in the classroom.

Bell Shakespeare Arts Educators with experience as professional directors or actors are keen to share their knowledge and passion for Shakespeare with teachers. All have experience in teaching Shakespeare to young people in a variety of learning situations which make these workshops relevant and inspiring for teachers.

Bell Shakespeare’s Professional Learning programme presents practical activity-based training days. We introduce teachers to theatrical approaches to Shakespeare, developing teaching ideas and interactive methods for inspiring students’ understanding and interpretation of the plays. This is achieved by working with the language and rhythm used by Shakespeare, exploring the stage directions within the text and ultimately approaching Shakespeare’s work as theatre.

“It was exactly what I’d hoped for: a practical demonstration of dramatic techniques which had been unfamiliar to me as a ‘literature’ teacher. It was great to do the activities, rather than just read about them.” Cate Cox, St Leonard’s College, VIC

TEACHINg THE TAmINg Of THE SHREw A full day’s exploration of this play including discussion of Bell Shakespeare’s 2009 production, covering:

– the historical context and contemporary connections in the play – the characters and their relationships – the power of the language – interpretations/readings of the play including a discussion of Bell Shakespeare’s 2009 production directed by Marion Potts

TEACHINg HAmLET A full day’s exploration of the ultimate despondent youth, Hamlet, covering:

– the historical context and contemporary connections in the play – the characters and their relationships – the power of the language – interpretations/readings of the play including a discussion of Bell Shakespeare’s 2003 and 2008 productions of Hamlet

TEACHINg AS yOU LIKE IT For NSW English teachers approaching the 2009 HSC text list, this workshop explored ‘Belonging’ in:

– the historical context and contemporary connections in the play – the characters and their relationships – the power of the language – reflection on Bell Shakespeare’s 2008 production

TEACHINg ROmEO AND JULIET A full day’s journey through the world’s best-known love story and a popular text for Years 7 – 11. During this day teachers were introduced to:

– easy practical ways into the plot – approaches to Shakespeare’s language – reflections on productions including Bell Shakespeare’s 2006 production and popular films

These full-day workshops gave teachers and practitioners key activities for introducing the plays with progressive activities for leading students through the plot, language and dramatic techniques concealed in the text. The activities presented gave insight into approaches the acting company uses to explore and interpret Shakespeare’s text. These practical devices can be applied across any of Shakespeare’s plays.

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“The day was very well organised and presented tasks that were interactive and also (importantly) practical for the classroom.” Travis Desborough, St Paul’s Wentworthville, NSW

“It was invaluable, fun. Good and well paced with plenty of time to discuss and take notes!” Suzanne Martin Long, Lambert School, North Hobart, TAS

In 2009, 209 teachers from 117 schools attended 15 Teacher Workshops.

These full-day Professional Development (PD) sessions engaged participants in practical and effective ways of bringing Shakespeare’s work to life. English and Drama teachers enjoyed being the students as Bell Shakespeare’s skilled Arts Educators presented new ideas and techniques designed to help break down the barriers students often have when approaching the study of

Shakespeare’s plays.

Responses from teachers were recorded after the Teacher Workshops:

“Taught with a pea-shooter last year. This year I have an FA18 and some tanks!” Ken Wade, Melton Christian School, NSW

“Absolutely wonderful! Very detailed and excellent ideas to be able to help our students dig their teeth into Shakespeare.” Laura Fenwick, Billabong High School, NSW

“Fantastic! Dynamic workshop. Lots of helpful activities to use in the classroom.” Anna Beaver, Campbell High School, ACT

“The workshop gave us different and literal interpretations of the text as well as practical activities. Very rewarding.” Maree Longworth, Ayr State High School, QLD

“Brilliant – so practical and the opportunity to perform and ‘speak the speech’ gives you the confidence to inspire students.” Melanie Tighe, Elizabeth College, TAS

“I learnt a great deal; thought it was well planned and beautifully delivered. Well done!” Jenny Dowling, Casuarina Senior College, NT

Location Number of Workshops

Number of Teachers

NSW 4 76

VIC 1 25

QLD 2 17

NT 3 32

SA 1 10

WA 1 12

TAS 1 6

ACT 2 31

TOTAL 15 209

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REgIONAL TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP (RTS)2009 was the third year of the Regional Teacher Scholarship programme. Designed specifically for teachers working in regional and remote schools, the RTS is currently the only national professional learning opportunity specifically for remote and regional teachers. After the review panels in each State and the Northern Territory have provided commentary and advice on the applicants, the twelve recipients are selected. The twelve recipient teachers from across the country travelled to Sydney for an intensive four days of exploration and training in Shakespeare in July 2009. Sessions included practical exploration of text, discussion forums, exploring Pericles and attending a performance at the Sydney Opera House, and learning how to work with The Taming Of The Shrew in diverse classrooms. The teachers visited a Sydney school to see the in-school education team Actors At Work perform, and participated in an online tutorial in Second Life to help them consider how they might use internet technology in the remote classroom. At the conclusion of the programme recipients worked with Associate Professor Michael Anderson at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney to develop a plan for working with Shakespeare and Bell Shakespeare in their schools. Some weeks after completing the programme each recipient created and submitted a Shakespeare Unit which they would be undertaking with their students.

The concerns and comments shared about their students and their communities highlighted the invaluable network this programme has established for these remote teachers. Metropolitan Professional Development programmes infrequently meet the needs of remote teachers and their students.

The RTS 2009 presenters were:

Bell Shakespeare Arts Educators – Matt Edgerton, James Evans, Huw McKinnon Guest Academic – Associate Professor Michael Anderson, University of Sydney

The RTS 2009 recipients were:

TAS Gary Goodall Star of the Sea Catholic College Peta McFedzean King Island District High School

NT Monica Hilse Tennant Creek High School

NSW Elizabeth Fletcher The Rock Central School Rebecca Grant Emmaville Central School

Inga Webber Balranald Central School

QLD Talia Barnes Charleville State High School Angela Gould Trinity Bay State High School

WA Dylan Sercombe Hedland Senior High School

SA Lynn Campbell Port Lincoln High School

VIC Brandi Galpin Horsham College Lynette Molloy Corryong College

“Relevant and so incredibly useful – not at all the stale, tired and boring content which is often delivered via the DET!” Inga Webber, Balranald Central School, NSW

“AMAZING! I am sitting in my room writing this and staring at the Opera House! It is so fantastic to be right in the centre of things and be able to take the navigating component out of the stress – I think you should make it known in the original mail-out how close everything is – one less thing to stress about.” Angela Gould, Trinity Bay State High School, QLD

“This was the best teacher training I have experienced. I was able to link what I already knew to the new knowledge presented.” Gary Goodall, Star of the Sea Catholic College, TAS

“Loved working through short examples so as not to get bogged down in a tumble of words.” Lynn Campbell, Port Lincoln High School, SA

“I didn’t know this play [The Taming Of The Shrew] very well so today was a great introduction; and wow I can see its relevance to students and myself!” Peta McFedzean, King Island District High School, TAS

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TEACHER fORUmS

EXPLORINg SHAKESPEARE – A fREE fORUm fOR TEACHERS

“Didn’t know what to expect, but was completely blown away, and left with a greater understanding of the Bard.” Teacher (name withheld), Telopea Park School, Canberra

In 2009, EXPLORING SHAKESPEARE was presented in every state and territory, giving teachers a wonderful opportunity to see new ideas and innovative ways to entertain, educate and inspire primary and secondary students when teaching Shakespeare. This free Teacher Forum included performance and workshop demonstrations, and insights into interpreting Shakespeare from Bell Shakespeare’s creative team.

“I thought every activity made Shakespeare accessible and fun. I had a wonderful afternoon.”Megan Qualischefski, Wiliam Ross State High School, QLD

“I loved the professional nature of the programme and also that an in-depth knowledge of works was not required (or assumed). A valuable experience for all teachers, especially those primary teachers who feel that they are ‘stuck’ with teaching drama.”Julie Burr, Carnamah District High School, WA

“It was so much fun and so inspiring! I can’t wait to get back to school and into using everything I’ve learnt!”Kristy Atkinson, Carnarvon District High School, WA

“I thought that the exercises on the use of language in the classroom were particularly useful as this is what often scares students the most.”Lee Morthorpe, Casuarina Senior College, Darwin, NT

“Loved it! It reminded me of why I adore plays, Shakespeare and teaching all at once. Lively and interactive with valuable, practical tools.”Trina Wilson, Catholic College, Bendigo, VIC

“I loved it! It gave me a chance to experience first hand what my students must feel when I teach, and gave me some useful tools and reignited my passion for Shakespeare. It’s given me the guts to ‘try again’.”Lauren Busch, Mt Gambier High School, SA

bELL SHAKESPEARE ALLIANCES SUPPORT TEACHERS

Bell Shakespeare has established a partnership with the Division of Professional Learning (DPL), Faculty of Education, University of Sydney. This partnership enables teachers undertaking the Regional Teacher Scholarship, or equivalent hours of Bell Shakespeare Professional Development programmes, to count these learning activities towards credit in a Masters Of Education degree. In 2010 we hope to work with the DPL to establish cohorts of Bell Shakespeare teachers who will be able to undertake units of study together at a time suitable to them in order to attain the M. Ed.

Bell Shakespeare is endorsed by the NSW Institute of Teachers enabling NSW teachers to attain accreditation for hours of Professional Learning completed with Bell Shakespeare. Teachers in others states are also able to use their Bell Shakespeare Professional Development towards their accumulated hours of Professional Learning.

A new partnership between the Learning Federation (the digital facet of the Curriculum Corporation) and Bell Shakespeare is creating new online support materials for the teaching of Shakespeare. With the National Curriculum in English to commence in 2011, what better way to help teachers to prepare than to nurture the development of teaching units and make them available to teachers across Australia. As part of the Regional Teacher Scholarship, teachers devise a unit for teaching Shakespeare to their own students. Each unit reflects the curricular requirements of the particular state or territory and the learning needs of the students in the teacher’s community. In November 2009 11 teachers from the cohort of 36 who have received the Regional Teacher Scholarship, attended a one-day workshop in Melbourne. This intensive day saw the development of teaching units on Macbeth, Romeo And Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and As You Like It. The units will be accessible online early in 2010.

Location Number of Schools

Number of Teachers

Wagga Wagga, NSW 9 27

Bendigo, VIC 10 28

Townsville, QLD 8 19

Darwin, NT 6 18

Mt Gambier, SA 5 19

Geraldton, WA 5 13

Hobart, TAS 16 28

Canberra, ACT 6 9

TOTAL 65 161

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SPECIAL PROJECTS

51

SPECIAL PROJECTS

yOUNg CARERS

Two Drama workshops were presented for Young Carers at their holiday camp in NSW in 2009. The afternoon workshop was a special opportunity for these young people, who spend much of their time caring for a sick or disabled family member, to explore their own creativity. The Sunday afternoon session gave the participants the chance to enjoy the fun of play through drama and character-based activities.

CLEmENTE – CATyLyST with mISSION AUSTRALIA and the AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITy

Following the annual participation of Mission Australia as a recipient group in Bell Shakespeare’s Hearts In A Row programme since it was launched in 2006, Bell Shakespeare has continued a partnership with the Australian Catholic University and Mission Australia through the Clemente Catalyst programme. This unique programme provides adults who have become socially, economically and domestically marginalised through various circumstances the opportunity to undertake a course of study at undergraduate level. After successfully completing two Catalyst courses, students may apply to be accepted into a programme of study at the Australian Catholic University to complete a full Bachelors degree.

In 2009, Resident Artist in Education Matt Edgerton worked with the students in Associate Professor Michael Griffiths’ twelve-week course on literature, including Shakespeare. Matt spent three two-hour sessions with the students which culminated in a short performance of excerpts from Michael Gow’s Away. Away includes references to and lines from King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, providing the course participants with a uniquely Australian exploration of the ideas in these two plays.

SHAKESPEARE fAmILy DAyS IN RETIREmENT VILLAgES

In 2009, family days were presented in six retirement villages across NSW and VIC. Developed with Australian Unity, our Official Wellbeing Partner, this was a unique platform for creating a connection between the village residents and their families in the comfort of the village environment. The combination of the energetic one-hour Shakespeare performance with refreshments before or afterwards allowed the audience to interact with the actors. For some, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane as audience members recalled their own experiences with Shakespeare and, for others, it was an opportunity to chat with the young actors, mingling with the exuberance of the next generation.

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RESOURCES

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RESOURCES TEACHERS KITS

Teachers Kits were provided online containing easily accessible materials for teachers to use in lessons before and after their students’ Bell Shakespeare experience. The Teachers Kits provide a range of reading, writing, listening, speaking and performance-based activities across learning areas, designed to ensure that students gain as much as possible from their Bell Shakespeare experience. Online Teachers Kits provided in 2009 were:

Productions

The Alchemist Pericles The Taming Of The Shrew Venus & Adonis

Actors At Work Love’s Magic Romeo And Juliet Intensive Trick Or Treat Macbeth Intensive Hamlet Intensive

bELL SHAKESPEARE ONLINE

Website

The Bell Shakespeare website for Education sat alongside Bell Shakespeare’s main site until October 2009, when it was incorporated into the company’s new website under the new heading of “Learning”. Teachers and students can find detailed information on all programmes and activities listed on the Bell Shakespeare Learning webpage as well as having online access to Teachers Kits, editorial, and images and podcasts from the year’s productions. The popularity and value of the website continues to grow as teachers become increasingly aware of the wide variety of materials available on the website. The resources on the new 2010 website will continue to provide greater access to Bell Shakespeare’s online resources for teaching and learning.

Podcasts

The 2009 podcasts enabled teachers and students to have an audiovisual connection with the Company’s productions. Podcasts included recordings of discussions with actors and directors from 2009 productions. Bell Shakespeare podcasts provide a useful preparatory tool for teachers within the listening, viewing and responding components of their curriculum requirements.

Online Communications

The Student & Teacher Discussion Board launched in 2006 has given teachers and students across Australia a readily accessible forum in which to express their personal responses to the performances they have seen, to discuss Shakespeare, and to continue to communicate

with the Actors At Work team after the performances in their school. With the development of social networking and the launch of the new Bell Shakespeare website, the Discussion Forum was closed in June 2009 and has been replaced by the comment facility on the new website with members of the diverse Learning community able to maintain contact with the Company via the website, Facebook and Twitter.

Bell Shakespeare’s website continues to be a predominant resource for the exploration of Shakespeare in Australia, be it in schools, tertiary institutions or by interested individuals. Between July and September, when the former Bell Shakespeare Education website closed, there were 4,552 page views. The Learning page launched on 1 October 2009 had 4,172 visits in the October to December period and the Community page which features the Remote Residency programme had 809 visits.

mAKE A SCENE

Bell Shakespeare and Optus presented the Make A Scene competition online for the third year. Five set lines from Shakespeare plays were provided for entrants. The 2009 Make A Scene virtual gallery contained 246 entries and the site received a total of 27,242 visits and 20,913 absolute unique visitors. The winning works were as follows:

Tavis O’Hazy Robertson (Scotch College, SA) was awarded the overall National Prize for the most original and creative entry for “Disguise Thou Art a Wickedness” (Animation).

Michaela Ripper (Jindabyne Central School, NSW) was awarded the Junior Encouragement Prize for Audio or Moving Image for “Torment of Revenge”.

Lisa Ho (Fairfield High School, NSW) was awarded the Junior Encouragement Prize for Still Image for “Changing”.

Jason Burton (Tennant Creek High School, NT) was awarded the Senior Encouragement Prize for Audio or Moving Image for “The Hunter”.

Sadina Tursunovic (Fairfield High School, NSW) was awarded the Senior Encouragement Prize for Still Image for “Longing”.

Nathan Tarlinton (Picton High School, NSW) was awarded the People’s Choice Award for “The Person Behind the Disguise”. The People’s Choice award is for the entry that received the highest number of public votes via the virtual gallery.

Additionally, the website included an interactive augmented reality facility which received 2,598 unique viewer interactions, a high level of engagement for this new type of technology. Viewers needed their own webcam facility and a card including an image which was used to access the augmented reality area of the website to reveal a 3D image that represented the selected Shakespearean quotes.

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EDUCATION REfERENCE NETwORKIn 2009 Bell Shakespeare’s Education Reference Network continued to establish connections with key Education personnel in each state and territory. The network provided helpful information and advice with regard to curriculum and calendar, and key personnel also participated in the RTS Review Panel, assisting with the assessment of applications for the Regional Teacher Scholarship.

Education Reference Group (NSW)

Matthew Brown, Deputy Principal, Wagga Wagga High School

Associate Professor Michael Anderson, Faculty of Education, University of Sydney

Tony Britten, English Coordinator, SCEGGS Darlinghurst

Jane Caro, Education Advocate, Copywriter

Sue Gazis, Vice President, Australian Joint Council of Professional Teaching Association

Eva Gold, Executive Officer, English Teachers Association NSW

Education Reference Group (VIC)

Rosalie Jones, Manager, Secondary Services Catholic Education Office, VIC

Debbie de Lapps, Executive Officer, VATE

Professor John O’Toole, Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Dr Kate Donelan, Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Education Reference Group (ACT)

Chris Melican, ACT DET

Linda Knight, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Canberra

RTS REVIEw PANEL

NSW

Eva Gold, Executive Officer English Teachers Association NSW

Michael Murray, Manager English Curriculum K-12 Directorate, Department of Education and Training

NT

Barbara Lemke, Education Officer Remote Secondary Support, Remote Schools Policy and Services, DEET – Groote Eylandt Schools

Carmel O’Neill, Project Manager, Senior Secondary Arts and Technology, Department of Education and Training Northern Territory Government

QLD

Garry Collins, President, ETAQ

SA

Di Schriever, Policy and Programme Officer English, Department of Education and Children’s Services

Graham Cox, Policy & Program Officer Arts, Education and Children’s Services

TAS

Mike Jenkins, Curriculum Officer, Tasmanian Qualifications Authority

VIC

Debbie De Lapps, Executive Officer, Victorian Association for Teachers of English

Kate Gillespie, Education Officer, Victorian Association for Teachers of English

Mark Bailey*, President, Drama Australia

WA

John Watson, English Teachers Association WA

(* reviewed all Drama teacher applications)

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2009 STATISTICAL SUmmARy

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2009 STATISTICAL SUmmARy

Education Activity Attendance

Schools Matinee Performances 6,688

Meet Bell Shakespeare 719

Actors At Work – student attendance 61,970

Student Workshops (incl. Remote Residencies) 4,413

Regional Access Student Workshops 1,601

Special Projects 77

TOTAL STUDENTS not including students attending general public theatre performances

75,468

Teacher Workshops 209

Regional Teacher Scholarship 12

Free Teacher Forums 161

TOTAL TEACHERS 382

Bell Shakespeare Website Visits 2009

2009 Education page (July – September) 4,552

Learning page (October – December) 4,172

Community page (October – December) 809

Make A Scene entries 246

Make A Scene Augmented Reality interactions 2,598

TOTAL RECORDED ONLINE USERS 12,377

GRAND TOTAL* 88,227

(*This GRAND TOTAL figure does not include students who attended general public performances of The Taming Of The Shrew, Pericles, The Alchemist, or Venus & Adonis).

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AbOUT bELL SHAKESPEARE

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Special Event Sponsor

Special Event Sponsor

Accommodation Partner Melbourne

Legal Partner Community Partner

compAny pArtners

mAJor sponsors

Supporting The Arts

Official Wellbeing Partner

supportinG pArtners

WA Tour PartnerSupporting Regional Communities

NSW Education Sponsor

THANK yOU TO OUR 2009 PARTNERS

Principal Education & Youth Sponsor

Actors At Work

Far North QLd Arts Education

leAdinG sponsors

Public Affairs Advisors

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VINCENT FAIRFAX FAMILY FOUNdATIONCOLONIAL FOUNdATION

THE IAN POTTER FOUNdATION OLIVER-AFFLECK FUNd

THE SCULLY FUNd COLLIER CHARITABLE FUNd BESEN FAMILY FOUNdATION

COmmUNITy PARTNERSThe following funds, trusts and foundations are supporting our national education initiatives

gOVERNmENT PARTNERS

Bell shakespeare is assisted by the nsw Government

through Arts nsw.

Bell shakespeare is assisted by theAustralian Government through the Australia council, its arts funding and advisory body.

the Australian Government is proud to be associated with Bell shakespeare through the national performing arts touring programme, playing Australia, which gives Australians across the country the opportunity to see

some of our best performing arts.

Bell shakespeare education is supported by the Australian Government through

the department of education, employment and workplace relations under the

Quality outcomes programme.

Bell shakespeare education is assisted by the nsw Government

through the nsw department ofeducation and training.

this project has received financial assistance from the Queensland

Government through Arts Queensland.

Bell shakespeare’s education activities in the Act are made possible with

assistance from the Act Government.

Bell shakespeare’s education activities in sA are made possible

with assistance from the sA Government.

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– Bell Shakespeare presents a broad range of touring productions and education and community activities for all Australians regardless of geographic location

– Each year Bell Shakespeare travels more than 125,000km

– The Company’s theatre productions and education initiatives attract enthusiastic audiences and an ever expanding network of schools

– Bell Shakespeare maintains robust corporate, philanthropic and government support

– In 2009, Bell Shakespeare employed more than 100 actors, musicians, directors, designers, artisans and technicians

– Bell Shakespeare reaches over 200,000 people annually with more than 700 performances in theatres and schools around Australia

EACH yEAR AUSTRALIA’S

NATIONAL THEATRE COmPANy:

Reaches a national audience of over 200,000 Travels more than 125,000km

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JOHN bELL Artistic directorJohn Bell is one of Australia’s most acclaimed theatre personalities. In a career of acting and directing, John has been instrumental in shaping the Australian theatre industry as we know it. After graduating from Sydney University in 1962 John worked for the Old Tote Theatre Company, all of Australia’s state theatre companies and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the United Kingdom. As co-founder of Sydney’s Nimrod Theatre Company, John presented many productions of landmark Australian plays including David Williamson’s Travelling North, The Club and The Removalists. He also initiated an Australian Shakespeare style with Nimrod productions such as Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth. In 1990 John founded The Bell Shakespeare Company where his productions have included Hamlet, Romeo And Juliet, The Taming Of The Shrew, Richard 3, Pericles, Henry 4, Henry 5, Julius Caesar, Antony And Cleopatra, The Comedy Of Errors, Wars Of The Roses, Measure For Measure, Macbeth and As You Like It, as well as Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters, Gogol’s The Government Inspector and Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist. His Shakespeare roles include Hamlet, Shylock, Henry V, Richard III, Macbeth, Malvolio, Berowne, Petruchio, Leontes, Coriolanus, Prospero, King Lear and Titus Andronicus. He played the title role in two co-productions with Queensland Theatre Company: Richard 3 and Heiner Müller’s Anatomy Titus Fall Of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary. John has also directed a production of Madame Butterfly for an Oz Opera national tour. John Bell is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the Order of the British Empire. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the Universities of Sydney, New South Wales and Newcastle. In 1997 he was named by the National Trust of Australia as one of Australia’s Living Treasures. In 2003 the Australia Business Arts Foundation awarded John the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award. His many awards as an actor and director include a Helpmann Award for Best Actor (Richard 3, 2002), a Producers and Directors Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement and the JC Williamson Award (2009) for extraordinary contribution to Australia’s live entertainment industry.

ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

mARION POTTS AssociAte Artistic director & mind’s eye Artistic directorMarion Potts is Bell Shakespeare’s Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Director of its development arm, Mind’s Eye. For Bell Shakespeare she has directed The Taming Of The Shrew, Hamlet, Othello and Venus & Adonis (a co-production with Malthouse Theatre) as well as the Actors At Work programme. Her other directing credits include The Wonderful World of Dissocia,Volpone, Don Juan, Life After George, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Crucible, Navigating, Del Del, Closer, The Herbal Bed, What is the Matter with Mary Jane?, Pygmalion, Where Are We Now?, The Café Latte Kid, The Blessing and Two Weeks with the Queen for Sydney Theatre Company; Equus, The Torrents, Gary’s House, A Number and The Goat or Who is Sylvia? for State Theatre Company of South Australia; Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of Somerset for Queensland Theatre Company; Grace for Melbourne Theatre Company; The Popular Mechanicals 1 and 2 (Associate Director) and The Frogs (Assistant Director) for Company B; Big Hair in America and Wonderlands for HotHouse Theatre; Dreaming Transportation for Performing Lines and the Sydney Opera House; and The Story of the Miracles at Cookie’s Table for HotHouse Theatre/Griffin Theatre Company. Marion was Resident Director for Sydney Theatre Company from 1995-1999, and Artistic Director of Pulse (STC) from 1997-1999. She curated the 2003 National Playwrights’ Conference, was a chairperson of World Interplay and a member of the Theatre Board of the Australia Council. She was also a founding member of HotHouse Theatre’s Artistic Directorate. Marion was awarded the 2006 Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play for her production of The Goat or Who is Sylvia? for State Theatre Company of South Australia and Company B.

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Level 1, 33 Playfair Street, The Rocks Sydney, Australia

PO Box 10 Millers Point NSW 2000

Telephone 1300 305 730 Facsimile 1300 552 271 [email protected]

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