Schools a stage for the Bard

Whether you realise it or not, you’ve probably quoted William Shakespeare this week.

You may have complained that you haven’t slept a wink, been sent on a wild goose chase, complained about an item vanishing into thin air, or had to be cruel to be kind – all of these phrases (and many more) have their origins in his plays.

After reports suggesting Shakespeare is no longer taught in some New Zealand schools, it appears the Bard remains a mustread for many Kiwi students.

Tania Hawes, head of English at Christchurch’s Riccarton High School and chair of Canterbury English Teachers’ Association, said although Shakespeare’s plays were no longer a compulsory requirement, they were still widely studied.

‘‘It’s taught slightly differently to what it once was – we tend to look at context and perspective far more than just dealing with it as a tale. That’s how we bring it alive for our students.’’

Hawes is a passionate supporter of Shakespeare and her classroom is adorned with his quotes and posters of his plays.

It would ‘‘theoretically’’ be possible for a student to complete their secondary education without reading any Shakespeare, she said, as teachers selected books or plays depending on the class.

‘‘The teachers choose text that they believe their students will respond best to.’’

At Christchurch’s Hornby High School, students have studied A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night.

Principal Robin Sutton said most were read in full ‘‘for the beauty of the language’’ or ‘‘in a modern idiom’’.

‘‘To suggest Shakespeare has died in New Zealand is patently false, we are proof that it’s alive and well,’’ he said.

Hornby students recently performed a 15-minute excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ)/University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition.

SGCNZ was founded 30 years ago and more than 120,000 high school students have participated, performing scenes from any of The Bard’s canon, including his poems and sonnets.

Dawn Sanders, chief executive of SGCNZ, said it used to be compulsory for schools to teach a whole Shakespeare play, but the quality of teaching could differ.

‘‘If the teacher didn’t understand, didn’t care or didn’t like Shakespeare, then it was taught badly and people had a really bad experience with it and it turned them off for life.’’

Despite being written more than four centuries ago, Shakespeare’s plays remained relevant today, said Sanders, who has seen a depiction of Richard III that explored the power struggle between Apple and Google and a performance of Julius Caesar that was an allegory of Donald Trump’s presidency.

‘‘They are all about human nature,’’ she said.

‘‘Shakespeare wrote about personal relationships, religions, families, leadership battles, so many different things.’’

Associate professor Shef Rogers, who teaches at University of Otago’s department of English and linguistics, said Shakespeare remained ‘‘our richest source in English of insights about human nature’’.

Jodine Hardwicke, head of English at Linwood College in east Christchurch, said Shakespeare was taught in drama, at a range of levels.

‘‘When choosing texts, we take into consideration an array of different things: What do we think our a¯ konga will connect with? What will challenge the way they think about the world? What voices are being privileged and silenced in the texts?’’

Jenny May, an assistant head of English at Christchurch’s St Margaret’s College, said Shakespearean texts were taught throughout its English and drama programmes.

‘‘In Year 10 all students are given a ‘Shakespearean Taster’, where they study key extracts from Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and get a feel for his language, themes, and characters,’’ she said.

‘‘I’m a passionate teacher of Shakespeare and believe that his texts continue to speak into universal issues, from gender politics to manipulation of power.’’