Irvington Eight Graders to Perform Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream'

WHO: Irvington 8th grade students perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

WHERE: In the Irvington Campus Theater

WHEN: Friday, June 6 at 9 a.m. 

DETAILS: With the support of the Irvington Education Foundation, the 8th grade students are working with Peter Royston to experience Shakespeare through a hands-on multi-week drama workshop. The work will culminate in a grade level performance of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” on June 6. The workshop and performance benefit students by increasing their level of comfort and confidence with interpreting the language. From understanding iambic pentameter and Shakespearean language/words to rehearsal and performance, Peter Royston takes the students through all the stages necessary for them to experience and enjoy Shakespeare.

Peter Royston is a writer and teaching artist who is a former Off-Broadway director. He bridges the gap between the entertainment industry and the educational community. Royston is also the author of more than 50 guides for stage productions. 

The project supports NYS Common Core Learning Standards in ELA:

• Reading: Key ideas and details; craft and structure; integration of knowledge and ideas; responding to literature. 
• Writing. 
• Speaking and Listening.

As Shakespeare scholar Peter Reynolds says, “The student who participates in collaborative dramatic exploration of Shakespeare is creating an opportunity to stake a claim to that text that is personal and not simply that of their teacher.”