O-H-I-O in the UK

Whoever thought you’d see an O – H during a performance by the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company? It happened last night on stage during the curtain call when one of the actors – who had worked with our group of Ohio schoolteachers that morning – snuck in an O – H during the end-of-performance curtain call! Our group had the huge pleasure of seeing Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Courtyard Theatre – an absolutely brilliant production directed by the RSC’s artistic director, Michael Boyd. A few of the actors mingled with our teachers after the play at the venerable Dirty Duck down the lane. Prior to the show, a few of the teachers (above) rendered their own O-H-I-O with the help of a UK landmark.

Most of the crew involved in the OSU / RSC partnership’s teacher education program have mixed feelings about leaving tomorrow. Ready to see their families, certainly, but sad to leave the members of the close-knit ensemble that’s been created over the past 5 days under the expert guidance of the RSC’s education department. One teacher said, “I’m ready to go home but I wish I could take the whole group home with me and we could continue in my living room.”

Luckily, the troupe doesn’t dissipate when the plane takes off from Heathrow. The teachers will meet at Ohio State all of next week to continue building their ensemble and creating educational strategies. They’ll meet for a number of weekends throughout the year, and several RSC actors and educators will visit Ohio State in November.

Teacher Features

Throughout the week, we’ll be talking with some of the 20 teachers who are involved as part of the first cohort in the OSU / RSC partnership program.

Melissa Henderson, English, Linden McKinley High School

“This week has really opened up my eyes to different ways of teaching the things I’ve been teaching. We’ve been analyzing text, studying character development and so on. . . but (those tasks) are sort of sneaked in while you’re having fun, and that’s what the RSC has taught us. The students will love it. They’re so used to just sitting there being spoon-fed information. With these techniques they’ll get up, get moving, have fun, participate as a group. . . and learn.” (Hi Mom)

Harry Gee, English, Trailblazer Alternative School, Reynoldsburg

"This week has energized me to go back to school; I’m excited to use the tools and ideas we’ve learned. I was a bit apprehensive at the start because I wasn’t sure my students (Trailblazer Alternative, where at-risk students get a chance to catch up and graduate) would be open to theatre activities. But now I think they’ll really be engaged. As a group, the teachers this week have really built a sense of community. It’s been fun. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun work.”