PARTNERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS

For more than fifteen years, the Stratford Festival has led an annual residency in Michigan in partnership with teachers and students at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Its mandate is to explore innovative pedagogical strategies with teachers and students and to support teachers in integrating these practices in their classrooms across the state. Participating teachers and students work with Festival staff and teaching artists to tie state academic standards for English Language Arts and Theatre to the study of Shakespeare. 

"The workshop increased my conviction that Shakespeare is a vital language experience, especially when brought to life physically by the students in the classroom. Using the real elements of theatre - voice, movement, embodied imagination - students are far more likely to connect with the spirit and value of Shakespeare. Silent reading just doesn't work."

- Michigan Residency participant.          

2021 Virtual Michigan Residency

TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH OTHELLO PERFORMANCEPLUS
May 12, 2021 7-8pm

This virtual professional development event for teachers focuses on Othello. It will include a demonstration of how to use our PerformancePlus resource in your teaching and an interactive Q&A with cast members from the 2019 production.

Teachers who take part in this professional development event will be given first priority in participating in our Virtual Film Festival this fall.

VIRTUAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR MICHIGAN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
September 27-October 16, 2021

Film Screenings
Access a secure link to the following filmed productions free-of-charge for your students to view in school or from home:
     • Othello (2019)
     • The Merry Wives of Windsor (2019)
     • R&J (2021)
     • A Midsummer Night's Dream (2021)
     • I Am William (2021)


Post-Show Student Workshops
You can deepen the experience by booking a virtual post-show student workshop in connection with one of the filmed productions. Each workshop will be an hour in length and will include discussion, Q&A and some applied learning exercises.
     • Your students must watch the production in order to participate in a workshop. After registering for a secure link for the film(s), you can book the associated workshop(s).
     • The workshops will take place in October at a mutually convenient time for the school and the participating teaching artist.

These events are free-of-charge for Michigan teachers, but space is limited so registration is required. 

Sign up now to secure your spot!

Registration Form

Questions? Contact us at:  educate@stratfordfestival.ca

Our PerformancePlus teaching resources, professional development events and student workshops align with the Michigan curriculum and support the state academic standards for English Language Arts and Theatre.

The Michigan Residency is supported in part through the Michigan Education Outreach Fund, held within the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Endowment Foundation.

For information on how you can support the Residency, please call our Advancement department at 1.800.561.1233, extension 5617.

The Stratford Festival is a registered expert with Digital Human Library, a social enterprise advancing K-12 education as Canada's premier digital experiential learning library. Through Canada's largest network of Canadian teachers, industry leaders, businesses, experts, and collaborative community partnerships, Digital Human Library creates opportunities for teachers and students to engage in community-connected experiential learning by offering hundreds of interactive video conferences and engaging livestreamed educational programs.

The Stratford Festival and the McMaster University Alumni Association have a longstanding partnership. Every season since 1960, we have held a summer seminar series open to all theatre and Shakespeare enthusiasts. Participants attend numerous productions, take part in lectures and discussion sessions, learn about backstage and production activities, and have the opportunity to meet with the cast and creative teams. In the spring, we also hold a lecture series in collaboration with the Hamilton Public Library.

The Stratford Festival was a founding member of the Professional Arts Organizations Network for Education (PAONE), a home for professionals who are committed to meaningful arts education within their organizations and communities.

As a member-driven service organization, PAONE provides networking and professional development opportunities and advocates for the value of arts education and strive to elevate the broader standards in arts education practice.

We are proud members of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE). CODE believes that specific Drama & Dance knowledge, skills and values are critical for learning at all levels of education in Ontario and that in order for this to happen, it is essential for Drama & Dance teachers to develop partnerships with the educational and artistic communities and with the public.

We value our relationships with the Board and teacher members throughout the province and have benefitted greatly from our participation in and support of professional development events and resources created by CODE.

We are grateful to be longstanding members of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) which provides a forum for the artistic, managerial and educational leadership for theatres primarily involved with the production of the works of William Shakespeare. Alongside other members throughout the world, we discuss issues and share methods of work, resources and information through regular virtual communication, meetings and an annual, in-person conference.