The Stratford Festival Michigan Residency

By Lois Adamson - Tim and Frances Price Director of Education, Stratford Festival

We are excited to share that for more than fifteen years the Stratford Festival has led an annual residency in Michigan. This program is in partnership with teachers and students at the secondary and post-secondary levels and in collaboration with community arts organizations. Read on to learn more about the Stratford Festival and how you and your students can participate!

2021 VIRTUAL MICHIGAN RESIDENCY

Typically, the residency takes place in both Michigan and at the Stratford Festival, but this year, we’ve adapted to suit the limitations of the pandemic and will be offering a virtual residency.

We are pleased to offer the Michigan residency free of charge.

Program dates are September 27-October 15.
Targeted for secondary and post-secondary students.

The goals of the Michigan residency are to:

  • provide students and teachers access to dynamic professional productions;
  • explore innovative pedagogical strategies with teachers and students;
  • support teachers to confidently and creatively teach theatre and dramatic literature in a way that aligns with academic standards for English Language Arts and Theatre;
  • deepen student engagement through inclusive, participatory learning experiences.

One Michigan residency participant was thrilled with the experience. She said,

“The workshop increased my conviction that Shakespeare is a vital language experience, especially when brought to life physically by the students in the classroom. Using the real elements of theatre – voice, movement, embodied imagination – students are far more likely to connect with the spirit and value of Shakespeare. Silent reading just doesn’t work.”

The residency is offered in two parts:

1) Teachers choose a Stratford Festival On Film production to anchor the experience and

2) Teachers book a post-show workshop for their students.

  1. Available Stratford Festival on film productions:
    • Othello(2019),
    • The Merry Wives of Windsor(2019)
    • R+J(2021)
    • A Midsummer Night’s Dream(2021)
  1. A virtual post-show student workshop deepens the experience:
    • Hour-long, live, active workshop facilitated by experienced Stratford Festival teaching artists.
    • Anchored in the themes and questions around the chosen production.
    • Include discussion and applied learning exercises such as text work and scene analysis that engage your students.

To get a sense of how our teaching artists approach educational programming, such as the residency, take a look at this onsite workshop:

REGISTER TODAY

We would love to have you as a part of the Stratford Festival Michigan family. Please visit our website and click on the “Michigan Residency” tile for more details and to register. Or feel free to contact the Education team at educate@stratfordfestival.ca.

You can also watch selected Stratford Festival On Film productions free of charge through our PerformancePlus teaching and learning resources.

The residency is supported in part through the Michigan Education Outreach Fund, held within the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Endowment Foundation. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL

The Stratford Festival began in 1952 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. It is now North America’s largest classical repertory theatre company. Every year, we produce a dozen or more productions in four distinctive venues. We produce classics, contemporary dramas and musicals, with special emphasis on the plays of Shakespeare. Also, we are proud that education has always been a core pillar of our work.

Get a sneak peek backstage at one of our theaters just before a show.

 

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