Filmed Shakespeare began in 1899, with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree performing the death scene from King John for the camera. Sarah Bernhardt, who had played Hamlet a number of times in her long career, filmed the duel scene for the Paris Exposition of 1900. In the era of silent film (1895-1929) several hundred Shakespeare films were made in England, France Germany and the United States, Even without the spoken word, Shakespeare was popular in the new medium. The first half-century of sound included many of the most highly regarded Shakespeare films, among them – Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet and Henry V, Orson Welles’ Othello and Chimes at Midnight, Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, Polanski’s Macbeth and Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. We are now in the midst of an extremely rich and varied period for Shakespeare on film which began with the release of Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V in 1989 and includes such films as Richard Loncraine’s Richard III, Julie Taymor’s Titus, Zeffirelli and Almereyda’s Hamlet films, Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, and Shakespeare in Love. The phenomenon of filmed Shakespeare raises many questions for literary and media studies about adaptation, authorship, the status of “classic” texts and their variant forms, the role of Shakespeare in youth and popular culture, and the transition from manuscript, book and stage to the modern medium of film and its recent digitally inflected forms.
Most of our work will involve individual and group analysis of the “film text” – that is, of specific sequences in the films, aided by videotape, DVD, the Shakespeare Electronic Archive, and some of the software tools for video annoatation developed by the MIT Shakespeare Project under the MIT-Microsoft iCampus Initiative.
We will study the films as works of art in their own right, and try to understand the means – literary, dramatic, performative, cinematic – by which they engage audiences and create meaning. With Shakespeare film as example, we will discuss how stories cross time, culture and media, and reflect on the benefits as well as the limitations of such migration.
The class will be conducted as a structured discussion, punctuated by student presentations and “mini-lectures” by the instructor. Students will introduce discussions, prepare clips and examples, and the major “written” work will take the form of presentations to the class and multimedia annotations as well as conventional short essays.
The methodological bias of the class is close “reading” of both text and film. This is a class in which your insights will form a major part of the work and will be the basis of a large fraction of class discussion. You will need to read carefully, to watch and listen to the films carefully, and develop effective ways of conveying your ideas to the class.

This resource was created by Kelly Schrunk, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

This video features Mr. Steve from PBS Kids performing his original song “Silly Shoes,” which encourages children to move and dance with inspiration from their own “silly shoes.”

Students are introduced to traditional folk music with an animated rendition of a familiar song, “Skip to My Lou.” The animation features an band made up of forest creatures, plus a few other surprises.

This resource was created by Nepthys Justo, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

This resource was created by Prairie Compton, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

This collection uses primary sources to explore social realism in American art. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

This resource was created by Margarita Flores, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

Meet Bay Area artist Mike Shine, who discusses his carnival-inspired paintings, and his recent large-scale stencil murals. He makes art for people to enjoy, both superficially and in depth, and condemns much of modern art because of the context needed for interpretation. He wants his art to be able to be interpreted, regardless of how it is interpreted. He wants it to transcend cultural and language barriers. Check out how his art is made in this video.

At Bowling Green Junior High in Kentucky, technology teacher Dianna Wolf and reading teacher Brent VanMeter use stop motion animation to give students opportunities to experiment with technology, work together, and communicate things they’ve learned in a fun and creative way.

This resource was created by Janelle Seagren, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

Learn how monotypes are created by examining the work of artist Susan Carney.

Talon Wilson is learning the master craft of blacksmithing at Sätergläntan school in Sweden and the experience has caused him to think deeply about who he is and how his Dakota ancestry can influence his art.

A lesson plan for grades 9-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

More About This Resource:
Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

This teaching packet discusses artistic movements of the late 20th century, including abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, conceptualism, process art, neo-expressionism, and postmodernism, with attention to their critical reception and theoretical bases. The packet considers works by 27 painters and sculptors including Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, David Smith, Martin Puryear, Anselm Kiefer, Susan Rothenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein (see full list below).

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Design Competition and learn about the skills required for a career in costume design.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Design Competition and learn about the skills required for a career in lighting design.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Design Competition and learn about the skills required for a career in projection design.

Learn what it takes to be a scenic designer at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Design Competition. Get advice and learn about the skills required for a career in scenic design.

This resource was created by Tessa Avery and Chris Swalley, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

Brendan Monroe doesn't follow strict guidelines, especially when it comes to his artwork. He makes rough sketches of his ideas and improvises along the way, making sure to keep the blurriness of the concepts and the mystery. His aim is to encourage people to see living things in everything in their environment.