Act IV Shakespeare
Mission
ACT IV Shakespeare is dedicated to creating an activity-based approach to the exploration of Shakespeare's plays in schools.
About
Act IV Shakespeare was created in 2023 by founding members Paul Rowe (Artistic Director), Luke Rowe (Artistic Associate) and Bailey Jackson (General Manager. The company's mandate is to provide activity-based experiences of Shakespeare's plays in Newfoundland and Labrador schools. The three team members are professional actors who bring an element of performance to their lesson planning. The team has so far developed programs for the study of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet and implemented them in schools. They've also co-written the play "The Story of the Globe" which they plan to tour to schools.
Teachers apply for funding through the NL Department of Education ArtsSmarts program, administered by ArtsNL, to have the Act IV team come to their school for a unit of study. After an interest has been expressed, the Act IV team supports teachers throughout the application process. Act IV is actively seeking other sources of funding to support not only their educational work but productions of Shakespeare's plays.
“With a variety of exercises and activities, Act IV engaged even the reluctant learners, and the students kept asking, “When are the actors coming back?”