On Tuesday the English and Theatre Departments met in the Theatre room after school to work with American University theatre professor Caleen Jennings. She spoke to teachers about bringing theatricality into the classroom, using the body, vocal tones, collaborative performances, and choral readings to bring text alive. Teachers practiced acting out lines from several Shakespeare plays, using pantomime, tone, and humor to give meaning to words. Many of the teachers will be using these skills when they approach various dramatic and comedic texts in the second semester, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet. Jennings received American University’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award and is a faculty member of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Teaching Shakespeare Institute. She is also a playwright and a two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee.
The Actor in All of Us
