Teaching, Performing, Directing, Shakespeare

Episode 174: Teaching, Performing, Directing, Shakespeare Chris Veneris hated Shakespeare in high school. He had a teacher who made it absolutely boring. Now he’s approaching Shakespeare from all angles - he teaches it in the classroom, he’s directed it and he’s performed it many times. In this conversation we look at how to look at Shakespeare from both a teaching and an acting perspective and why Shakespeare fails in the classroom. Show Notes Theatrefolk.com Drama Teacher Academy Shakespeare's Language:A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems by Eugene F. Shewmaker Episode Transcript Welcome to the Drama Teacher Podcast brought to you by Theatrefolk – the Drama teacher resource company. I am Lindsay Price. Hello! I hope you're well. Thanks for listening! This is Episode 174 and you can find any links to this episode in the show notes which are at Theatrefolk.com/episode174. So, what are we talking about today? We are talking about Shakespeare. I know, we’ve done a lot on Shakespeare in the past few months, but it is something that comes up time and time again. Shakespeare can be a vital, exciting learning experience. It can also be the worst, most painful kind of experience that makes you never want to look at a Shakespeare play ever, ever again. Our guest today, Teacher Chris Veneris, had that kind of experience in high school. But, now, he’s on quite a different footing with his approach when it comes to teaching, performing, and directing Shakespeare. Let’s get into it, shall we? LINDSAY: All right, I am here speaking with Chris Veneris. Hello, Chris! CHRIS: Hello, Lindsay! How are you? LINDSAY: I’m excellent. How are you? CHRIS: I’m wonderful. LINDSAY: Hey! Good, good, good. All right. So, tell everybody where in the world you are. CHRIS: I am sitting in my home in Greensboro, North Carolina. LINDSAY: Hey! Very good, very good! And how long have you been a Drama teacher? CHRIS: I just completed my twelfth year with Guilford County Schools. I’m at my third school which has been my longest tenure and I just completed my eighth year at that school which is Southeast Gilford High School in Greensboro. I have also taught at Lincoln Academy which is a middle school and, my very first year, I taught at Western Guilford High School. LINDSAY: So, what keeps you coming back? What keeps you connected to being a Drama teacher? CHRIS: I really think it’s kind of a calling. I’ve looked at leaving the profession with all the negativity that teachers are receiving. I have thought about going and getting an administrative license and becoming a principal. I have thought about going out and getting my MFA. Every time, right before I’m about to sign paperwork or to really start studying for the GRE and get down to it, I just look at myself in the mirror and go, “I can’t give up teaching. I don’t want to give up teaching.” It’s really coming back to the students because, even in a really terrible year, there’s always a bright spot. There’s always at least one student – usually, it’s ten or fifteen, even in the worst situation that you can find a bright spot in. it’s just the ability to pass on the knowledge that I’ve received.