Teaching Shakespeare with Performance Pedagogy in an Online Environment

Summary

With the proliferation of online learning, a phenomenon that has been exponentially magnified by the COVID-19 crisis, the physical classroom can no longer be taken for granted as the default Shakespeare learning experience. We are increasingly being asked to transform our teaching in ways that will be compatible with the online environment. At first glance, it may seem that the online environment is more conducive to traditional lecture and discussion-driven pedagogies for teaching dramatic texts because such methods can be transformed into their online counterparts in a relatively straightforward fashion. In contrast, performance and active learning are more complicated to put online, often requiring substantial reimagining to function within an online framework. However, performance brings to the classroom a vital energy and active engagement with drama that is worth the trouble. Focusing on performance and active learning methods, the current article will explore options for engaging with performance pedagogy to teach Shakespeare’s dramatic texts in an online setting.