1. Perform a dramatic monologue: Choose a passage you’d like to perform. The passage needn’t be long; 15-20 lines are sufficient. Memorize the passage and rehearse it. Perform it aloud to the class, and be prepared to answer any questions that may arise. You may, if you wish, wear a costume or bring props.

2. Perform a scene with other members of the class: Choose a passage or scene with two or more speaking parts. Select roles, memorize the lines, and rehearse the passage for presentation to the class. Perform it to the class, and be prepared to answer questions. Again, you’re welcome to wear costumes and bring props.

3. Reader’s Theater: Choose a passage that has the potential for at least two distinct dramatic presentations. The passage should be long enough that clear differences can be emphasized (show me which passage you’d like to perform if you’re uncertain whether or not it will work). Memorize the passage, rehearse it, and perform it to the class in the various (two or more) ways in which you have imagined it. This, of course, can be a group or an individual performance. As always, be prepared to answer questions about your choice of performance. You’re welcome to wear a costume and bring props. (For this option, it might be necessary to bring in a transcript of the passage, as you will have to approach the passage from at least two different angles. Memorization of the passage, however, will make your performance more realistic to your audience.)

Again, you’re welcome to suggest other performance possibilities. Remember that the purpose of this assignment is for you to engage closely and imaginatively with one the Shakespearean texts on our syllabus. Whatever you think may help you and your classmates better appreciate and/or understand Shakespeare is fair game here. Run your ideas by me ahead of time though to make sure that you remain within the general requirements of this project (memorization, interpretation, and performance).

Remember, too, that a short write-up explaining your choice of passage and the decisions you made when rehearsing it needs to be handed in on the day you perform your piece

By the same token, you will need to introduce your piece to the class. Briefly explain which passage you picked and why you picked it. Make sure you have checked the pronunciation of all unusual, archaic, or non-English words. Also, watch out for words that are pronounced differently to fit the rhyme and/or meter. Sometimes –ed at the end of words is enunciated as such; at other times it is reduced to –‘d (as we would read it nowadays). Reading the passage aloud and following the rhythm will tell you which one it is.

Feel free to involve other students in your performance (willing ones; don’t push anybody to participate); have them serve as silent actors, trees, walls, dogs, props, parts of your set; they could also provide sound effects if necessary. Choose one student ahead of time as your prompter (in case you forget a word or a line); be sure that student is equipped with a copy of your passage and that s/he sits close to you as you perform. Project your voice so that everyone can hear you—it’s important to rehearse especially this at home, as one often instinctively lowers one’s voice to add dramatic emphasis. As you perform your passage from Shakespeare, consider the dramatic value of pauses, and changes in tempo, volume, etc.

Everyone who completes the project within the guidelines specified above will receive full credit; anyone who fails to complete them will receive no credit. Your performance needs to occur on the day for which you signed up; there are too many people in class to shift dates around once they have been assigned—please, plan ahead and cross-reference due dates for other courses you might be taking. Be sure you have time to rehearse, especially if you’re performing together with other members of the class. Compare calendars! Likewise, don’t forget to hand in your short write-up (one per performance, not per performer) explaining why and how you chose to perform your passage; include a copy of the passage itself (Xerox or word-processed—not handwritten). Anybody who fails to fulfill the written part of this assignment will receive half-credit only—a paragraph is all I need to evaluate your intellectual involvement with the passage of your choice. Your acting skills will not be graded; effort and creative engagement is all I’m asking for. Break a leg!