Pedagogy and Performing Shakespeare\u27s Text: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT PEDAGOGY AND PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE’S TEXT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY By Sally Parrish Southall A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes Professor, Director of Graduate Studies School of the Arts In the Master of Fine Arts program in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in a second program, the Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance at Mary Baldwin College - two specific pedagogical approaches to accessing and performing Shakespeare’s text, both in the post-graduate setting - provide significant analysis tools and performance techniques, yet they use different points of departure and areas of focus. Chapter 1 will give the background, design, and focus of the graduate programs at Virginia Commonwealth University and at Mary Baldwin College. Chapter 2 will discuss and describe Janet B. Rodgers’ teaching orientation and her particular pedagogy in “Shakespeare and Text: The War of the Roses” class at viii ix Virginia Commonwealth University. Chapter 3 will provide Dr. Ralph Alan Cohen’s professional background and the foundational structure and focus of the pedagogy in his class “Language and Performance” at Mary Baldwin College. Chapter 4 explores the parallel and overlapping methods demonstrated in these two classes as well as the contrasting specifics of their particular methodologies. Chapter 5 describes the value of the two approaches, both of which exemplify the individual strengths of the professors