One of the nice results of the current lockdown, from an audience point of view, is that the UK’s National Theatre is going to be making selected shows available for a week at a time on YouTube. The National Theatre has announced a show a week for the month of April. They are filmed shows … Continue reading “Watch UK’s National Theatre Productions at Home!”
The Education Ministry has commissioned a series of filmed lessons for pupils, to be shown on France 4. There are classes in English for lycée level, every Wednesday, starting on 25 March. The first lesson is on written comprehension, for 1ère and Terminale, around a letter to Judy Garland, an extract from Love Letters to … Continue reading “Classes on TV for your lycée students”
A free online course from the British Council lets you, and your students, explore Shakespeare’s plays and language. Exploring English: Shakespeare is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) which is free and open to anyone who is interested, though it is aimed at B1-level speakers and above. The introduction video a gives a taster of … Continue reading “Explore English Through Shakespeare”
Shakespeare may be known for his soliloquies, but it’s quite a challenge to present each of the Bard’s plays with one single actor plus a selection of household objects. Table Top Shakespeare is being performed as part of Paris’s Festival d’automne. We’ve all done it. You’re telling a story at the dinner table and feel … Continue reading “Shakespeare on a Table”
Go along to lectures on Jane Austen and Shakespeare in Paris, or catch up online. All for free! As part of the Sorbonne’s Summer University course don’t miss two lectures on English literature, in English: 18 July 6-7.30 p.m. “Jane Austen on the Tourist Trail” by English Literature professor Nicola Watson from the Open University. … Continue reading “Jane Austen and Shakespeare Lectures in Paris”
The wonderful itinerant Footsbarn theatre company has taken up residence at the Cirque Romanès in Paris till 26 February with two shows: a drama, Cuckoo’s Nest, and a cabaret, Shakespeare Celebration. Footsbarn began in Cornwall but has been based in France (in La Chaussée (03)) for years. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch one … Continue reading “Drama and Cabaret with Footsbarn Theatre”
For three nights only, a play about the pioneer women actresses who were the celebrities of Restoration London in seventeenth century. In Shakespeare’s plays, the women’s roles were played by boy actors. In Puritan England, the idea of a woman acting on stage was considered scandalous. In fact theatres in general were considered immoral, and … Continue reading “Women on Stage: How Shocking!”
Friday 2 December is Shakespeare Lives in Schools Day around the world, part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary year of the Bard’s death. William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, at the age of 52, in his native Stratford-upon-Avon. Yet his 37 plays are still played constantly around the world, and have provided … Continue reading “Shakespeare Lives in Schools Day”
The British Council has produced various films to celebrate the anniversary, modern, short versions inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s plays. Some are difficult for learners, language-wise, but we’ve selected these two for class use. Plus an interactive film from Shakespeare’s Globe. This film is a satirical homage to Hamlet, and the main character is a … Continue reading “Shakespeare Lives in Schools Webpicks”
See a play in English… at the cinema! The National Theatre Live brings broadcasts of acclaimed West End productions to cinemas around the world. Coming up in France, performances in Valbonne, Aix en Provence, Strasbourg and Paris. London is a mecca for excellent theatre productions, and the National Theatre’s productions starring the crème de la … Continue reading “National Theatre Live”