Globe Education at Wellington College International Tianjin

On Wednesday 14th September, Wellington College International Tianjin were delighted to host Globe Education in running a CPD for both local and international teaching staff aimed at providing teachers with dynamic approaches to teaching Shakespeare, engaging students and developing understanding of the language, characters and themes of The Merchant of Venice. Expertly led by Globe Education practitioner and Assistant Director of The Merchant of Venice Kevin Bennett, the CPD explored a range of dramatic approaches to teaching Shakespeare’s plays in engaging and motivating ways, in addition to using drama techniques to explore Shakespeare’s use of language, imagery and verse structure. In offering professional insight into how to make Shakespeare’s text come alive, Bennett shared his wealth of experience in working with professional actors and other performance artists. The workshop was attended by academic teaching professionals from a range of backgrounds across Tianjin, including secondary school teachers, university lecturers, professional interpreters and linguists, education policy-makers and more. In working with the local community by sharing teaching practice and learning methods, this CPD was an excellent example of how international school teachers can work positively and constructively with local educational institutions whilst simultaneously promoting the invaluable work and resources of one of the UK’s most significant performance arts institutions. On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, this event was yet another initiative held by the College in support of Shakespeare Lives – a worldwide campaign to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the UK’s most famous playwright, William Shakespeare. About Shakespeare’s Globe Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare’s Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of performance and education. Together, the Globe Theatre, Globe Exhibition & Tour and Globe Education seek to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance. To learn more, visit their homepage here: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com To explore online resources for pupils and teachers, please see here: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/education. About Shakespeare Lives Shakespeare Lives is an unprecedented global programme of events and activities celebrating William Shakespeare’s work on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016. It is an invitation to the world to join in the festivities by participating in a unique online collaboration and experiencing the work of Shakespeare directly on stage, through film, exhibitions and in schools. It will run throughout 2016, exploring Shakespeare as a living writer who still speaks for all people and nations. To learn more about events in the UK and around the world, visit the website here: http://www.shakespearelives.org.