educational tour frequently asked questions

Grassroots Shakespeare differs from modern Shakespeare in a couple of key ways. When you see Shakespeare performed in modern times, it is much like seeing any other play-- people gather and take their seats and watch silently, perhaps occasionally clapping in-between scenes. However, this is not the way that Shakespeare was written. Shakespeare was written at a time when their was no fourth wall-- It had not been invented yet! This means that your average theater goer had no inhibitions whatsoever about telling the characters on-stage exactly what they thought about what was happening. Shakespeare knew this and actually wrote his plays with the audiences reactions in mind, even to the point that many lines which appear not to be in iambic pentameter actually are so once the audiences response is present! In Grassroots productions, our actors will speak most dialogue out to the audience, using a technique called 'direct address.' This makes the audience go from being mere spectators to active participants in the play. 

Original Practice is when you remove that fourth wall, going back to the Elizabethan theater experience! While this is one of the main thrusts of the Original Practice experience, it is not the only one. Original Practice also means that their is no director. In Shakespeare's day, the play was put on collaboratively by the actors. Likewise, our five-person cast has made all of the decisions for their characters themselves-- with the help and council of their castmates. While this means you won't get a singular vision that a director might bring, it does mean that you get the best ideas to bring the text to life from five minds instead of one. 

No costume designer! In Shakespeare's day, all costumes were created by the actors for their own characters. Additionally, in Elizabethan times, there was no period costuming-- actors wore whatever conveyed key elements of their characters best, with no special regard to time period or place. Likewise, you might see our 'Prince' from "Romeo and Juliet" as a bicycle cop, or 'Tybalt' as a 1950's greaser.

No set! In Shakespeare's time, there was no set, just a wooden stage adorned with only a few practical measures, like a log to sit on or perhaps a wand to lull characters to sleep. 

A shorter rehearsal period? That's right-- Shakespeare's troupe, The Kings Men, would memorize their lines beforehand and meet sometimes only the day before to go over fights and dances. At Grassroots, our rehearsal period is kept minimal to allow for spontaneous choices and authentic reactions. This is also an important part of the actor-audience collaboration-- every show is going to be different because the audience will be different-- there is little to be gained from hours of rehearsal if the audience is going to cause an actor to make different choices than they made in rehearsal!

One hour run-time, including Original Practice introduction. 

Our brand of Shakespeare is enjoyed by ages 6 and up.  We recommend 6 and up for most shows, including Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing. 12 and up is recommended for Hamlet, due to thematical elements. 

The way we do Shakespeare, most kids are able to follow most elements of story without much difficulty. They understand the plot, they understand what is happening in each scene. Even younger kids age six will know who the villains are, who the hero's are, who the clowns are, etc. This is the result of the Original Practice methods our company utilizes. Some dialogue will be harder to follow than others, and some words are archaic.    

They do not. One of our company beliefs is that Shakespeare is meant to be seen. Shakespeare wrote his plays to have an audience, and that is one of the reasons we employ Original Practice-- audience reaction is constantly anticipated by the text and is one of the reasons the language is so much easier to follow and enjoyable with an audience!

We can actually perform anywhere you'd like us to-- Our stage is small and mobile. We can fit in a medium-sized classroom, a black box theater, a large auditorium, or even outside!

Many of the tragedies of Shakespeare are not appropriate for all ages. We recommend Macbeth for ages 12 and up. Grassroots Shakespeare's Macbeth contains:

• Depictions of violence/fight scenes. No stage blood.
• Death scenes
• Supernatural elements
• Psychological horror
• Macabre subject matter

While it is an excellent idea to have us come following a lesson on Shakespeare, or a reading of one of the Bard's works, it is not strictly necessary. We have an informative introduction that we do before each show. You may feel free to inform your students that they are free to respond to questions directed at them, the audience. However, If we are coming to your school and performing for 200 or more of your students, you can skip this part-- the kids generally get rowdy enough without any help. 

That is certainly possible. The $500 price tag actually loses the company money every show. We are able to offer a lower price due to the grants we receive, like the Orem CARE grant and the Shakespeare in American Communities grant. However, the following can help us bring our brand of Original Practice Shakespeare to you for a lower price:

• If you are a title 1 school, please inquire about a lower price, we may not have filled our quota for title 1 schools yet. 
• Research and recommend any local grants to us. We currently get grants that cover Salt Lake City and Orem that help us make the show less expensive for everyone else too. The more local grants we can procure, the more we can bring the price down as these grants can go towards helping us match funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. 
• Look into a sponsor! You can coordinate with students parents, local businesses, etc. Just leave a donation here on our home page, we can put that towards your school! (Just put the name of your school in the notes)