Laurie Swigart has a Masters of Arts in Shakespeare and Theatre from The University of Birmingham, Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. She also has a 36-year career doing all kinds of theatre with all kinds and ages of people. After attaining her MA in Shakespeare and Theatre, it has become her passion and mission to take the intimidation of doing Shakespeare out of the classrooms and rehearsal spaces of middle and high school teachers and directors. Understanding that Shakespeare only wrote his plays to be seen and heard, not simply studied as literature, Swigart’s book “Performance Approaches to Shakespeare” contains information and strategies to uncover performance clues that he incorporated into his text to communicate how he wanted it to be performed. Discovering and implementing those clues, You CAN do Shakespeare without fear, instructing your students to do the same and loving the process while doing so.
~ What People Say ~
Oh, that Laurie Swigart’s thorough and readable book, “Performance Approaches to Shakespeare” had been available to me as a 22-year-old beginning teacher. This useful and inspiring book should be required reading for all theatre folk – teachers, directors, actors, and producers alike. She tells us how to “do” Shakespeare and makes it look easy!
Jean Birkett, Assistant Professor of English and Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin Platteville-Richland
“What we have loved, others will love, and we will show them how.”
Wordsworth
As an educator, I am so impressed with the simple and effective activities provided in this book to simply “plug and play” with minimum effort. Laurie Swigart’s “Performance Approaches to Shakespeare” has done all of the grunt work for us! If you teach or direct Shakespeare, this is a must-read and must-use resource for you and your students/players!
Melissa Lang, M.Ed., Adjunct Professor of Education, University of Northwestern St. Paul
Get in Touch
laurieswigart@perfappshakes.com
715.781.5760
Woodbury, MN 55129
Performance Approaches to Shakespeare 