Mr. Keehn, a true Shakespeare enthusiast, is eager to share his love of the material. As a seasoned English teacher, he knows just how hard it can be to engage teens with certain texts. While wildly considered the greatest English writer, Shakespeare can feel inaccessible. The language is hard to decode, the metaphors are dense, and the jokes do not always land – after all, they are 400 years old! Shakespeare’s work was never meant to live on the page. It is theater. Why read sheet music when you can listen to a symphony?
Keehn’s interest in Shakespeare led him to discover a training program that teaches the Bard through theatrical performance, paired with deep textual study. In 2022, Keehn was awarded a grant through Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance (TSTP) to study Shakespeare at the Globe Theater. Though located on London’s South Bank, Shakespeare’s Globe has worldwide reach. It is a modern reconstruction of the theater where cultural behemoths such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet were performed.
During this intensive program, Keehn joined other teachers in performance-based explorations of the text. Freed from the school desk, they moved through the theater embodying characters while delivering their lines with special attention to emphasis and pacing. This immersive approach resonated with Keehn, and his passion for creating the next generation of Shakespeare-lovers now comes to life at Gann Academy.
Last Monday, students met in the Dance Studio to pick up their performative reading of The Merchant of Venice. After kicking off their street shoes, the students formed a circle alongside Mr. Keehn, who led them through a mindful stretching exercise. As the final class of the day, the activity prompted a few giggles as everyone relaxed into the movement.
The students soon fell into familiar patterns of “milling and seething” (a drama exercise where people move through a space aware of each other, but while holding an internal feeling/intention). For this class, that looked like students walking random paths through the room, trying to not bump into anyone while channeling the mindset of the character they were preparing to inhabit. After a few chaotic, giggly rounds, the students became more synced up, and the motion looked fluid and purposeful.
Next, they did a “stomp through”, a rehearsal exercise in which students walk forcefully through the space while speaking lines aloud. In a highlight of the class session, there was a cacophonous and spirited repetition of the line “If you deny me, fie upon your law!”
While each student recited this line on their own, the coordinated stomping to the iambic pentameter created a chorus that was surprisingly emotionally impactful. This was only one line! Engaged and collaborative, the group also analyzed sentence structure, discussed speeches from Shylock and Portia, and shared personal impressions. Everyone left with a smile – and a friendly reminder to read Act 5, Scene 1 of Merchant of Venice. Keehn exemplifies Gann’s commitment to dynamic teaching, bringing enthusiasm and creativity to each class while introducing students to essential texts and enduring traditions.