The Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Program
After the great success in September 2025 of our SHAKESPEARE-IN-THE-SCHOOLS PROGRAM at the International German School in Lisbon (letter of recommendation from the Head of the English Dept. and reviews written by students are available upon request), Open Air Shakespeare is now offering the program to public and private high schools in New York's Hudson Valley and in Lisbon, Portugal during the Fall of 2026.
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In advance of our "live" Shakespeare performance at the school, which can be presented as an abridged one-hour version or as a full-length adaptation (in the original language), several of the acting company members conduct SHAKESPEARE WORKSHOPS in classrooms. This one hour-long interaction provides the students with an informative, energetic, and enjoyable introduction to the works of William Shakespeare, a synopsis of the play to increase the students enjoyment of the performance, and historical insights into the Elizabethan era in which Shakespeare created the plays.
The Classroom Workshop Format
The Program Outline
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- Two actors from the play being performed at the school lead the classroom workshops.
-The storyline of the play is summarized to increase the student’s understanding of the plot and characters.
- A brief introduction to the Elizabethan era is presented, giving the students insight into the environment where Shakespeare wrote his 39 plays and 154 sonnets.
- Shakespeare’s usage of iambic pentameter is demonstrated by the actors.
- The students are reminded how many idioms and phrases from Shakespeare’s plays are commonly used today. For example, "Laughingstock" and "heart on my sleeve."
- We invite interested students to participate in acting-out a scene or monologue from one of Shakespeare's plays.
- The actors discuss their own experience performing in a play by William Shakespeare and how it differs from other acting experiences.
- The workshop then leaves ample time for the ever-popular Q&A.
The School Performance Options
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- Schools are given the option of a 1-hour long abridged Shakespeare play or short scenes from various Shakespeare plays, performed after the classroom workshops, during school hours, with the performance attended by students and teachers only.
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- Or schools may prefer a full-length play from the current season at OAS. This approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours long performance is presented after the classroom workshops that take place during school hours. The play is presented during after-school hours and it allows the school to open the performance to a wider audience and even sell tickets. ​
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​Schools and organizations interested in our Shakespeare-in-the-Schools Program are asked to contact us regarding availability and rates, which vary depending on the length of the play requested and the number of classroom workshops needed. We also offer a limited number of performances and workshops to public schools free of charge: