Shakespeare and Performance Pedagogy: Overcoming the Challenges

Although performance-based pedagogy has clearly given new life to the study of Shakespeare, with ‘performance’ or ‘active’ approaches becoming increasingly dominant as a method, acquiring the status of the ‘proper’ way to teach Shakespeare, it is important to examine the limitations of this method. This article will begin by surveying the theoretical basis for performance pedagogy and the spectrum of performance methods available and will then go on to address three issues: limitations of time, deficient student acting and lack of teacher expertise. The issue of time can be addressed by the cost–benefit analysis of methods, the use of alternative approaches, the incorporation of film and desk-based performance. Poor acting can be improved through the acting exercises of Cicely Berry. Teachers can compensate for a lack of theatrical expertise by taking courses and studying the materials recommended in the article.