Shakespeare Summer Camp

Actually, I have 10 minutes to write. So here it goes...

Our schedule is really quite crazy - and mine seems to be longer since I take the subway into the city daily and back home. The others, those who are staying at the ridiculously overpriced Georgetown University townhomes, ride a bus back and forth. That is my one regret - that I can't do the commute with them. They have such a great bonding time with that. I ride the bus occassionally, but must leave them in order to catch a train home.

But back to the schedule - then to the people.

Monday-Friday, we're busy from 8:45 am until 5pm. The morning session is a lecture by an esteemed Shakespeare scholar (there are 3 here, plus several visiting ones). After the lecture is a seminar, where we get to discuss the lecture, the play, our schools, and the occassional smattering of gossip (but that's usually me and whoever is sitting near me). After that we have lunch, in which we stomp around Capitol Hill in search of a quick - and relatively inexpensive - meal. More often than not, sandwiches are involved, which is tiring many people out. After lunch, we then have peformance workshops with a Shakespearean actor and finally end in a curriculum workshop where we learn how to teach Shakespeare more precisely. Evenings are occasionally filled up, occasionally left for us. This week, however, we saw a theatre performance starring one of our Shakespearean actors, we saw a film viewing of "Taming of the Shrew," we attended a wine reception for PBS and the upcoming new release of a "King Lear," and we attended a Nationals/Astros game (where the Astros lost big-time).

And I must mention tea. Every day, from 3-3:30, tea is served. Seriously. Everyone stops working (everyone in the building) for a cup of tea, good conversations and some delightful little cookies. It's quite English.

This week has been filled with not only the above, but extra introductional activities. For example, we were given a tour of the elaborate library, which is a paragraph or two all unto itself (more later) where we got to see really old and rare books (including a Folio) and documents written by Queen Elizabeth. Friday's extra-special activity was a tour of the conservation lab, which is another paragraph unto itself (more later).

Finally, we were given our projects. We are here to learn, and learn we will. We have a 3-5 page research project due soon, as well as lesson plans or a technology project, and various theatre assignments.

So, my next entry will detail the description of the Folger Library, the conservation lab, and the people.

I haven't mentioned the people? The people here are great. We are all Shakespeare nerds and we get along fantastically. I swear, some of them/us were oppressed nerds as teenagers because for a group of 25 teachers (ages range from 26 to 50ish), there's some bawdy conversation, teenage antics and heavy drinking. It's not what you'd think of when the words "Shakespeare Workshop" come to mind.

Gotta run. Time to do more Shakespeare!

Cheers!