My class was called "Shakespeare Shorts". The kids spent the entire semester working on an abbreviated version of Midsummer Night's Dream. The entire play was 15 minutes long! We had 10 weeks to get our act together, so to speak.
All three kids were in the play. Joseph was Oberon, the Fairy King, Libby is Helena and Caroline is Titania, the Fairy Queen.
A few of the kids braved going scriptless and did fabulously. Most of them could have done it without their scripts (I know that I have been hearing lines spontaneously for weeks from my three!) However, with 10 weeks of 1 hour per week to get it all together, I didn't push memorizing lines.
The kids DID gain a really thorough understanding of their character and the language of Shakespeare.
I had my kids watch the movie version at the beginning of the semester and then again at the end. Their comprehension of what was happening in the story was completely different by the end of the semester.
Yay for "Shakespeare Shorts"!
Here is Helena, talking to Hermia and Lysander and learning of their plan to leave Athens and marry.
Here is poor Helena following Demetrius around (and annoying the heck out of him) while Oberon watches.
Oberon, sprinkling the flower into Titania's eyes.
Curtain call
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