English 11 teachers assign projects to encourage support of theater

Dozens of eager viewers filled the theater at AMC 16 Cupertino on Nov. 16 to see the screening of National Theatre Live’s “Hamlet,” featuring Benedict Cumberbatch. Among the audience were members of English 11 teachers Natasha Ritchie and Amy Keys’s classes, including junior Priya Chaganti.

“Especially for a play as difficult to read as ‘Hamlet,’ it really helps to watch a performance of it,” Chaganti said. “Also, I really wanted to see this specific version with Benedict Cumberbatch, so it was great to watch.”

Both Ritchie and Keys offered their students supplemental credit options in the fall semester, which included reading an independent reading book, going to see the fall play, “The White Snake,” or attending one of the screenings for the National Theatre Live’s “Hamlet.”

“Personally, I see incredible value in theater and performing arts,” Ritchie said. “If we all had infinite time, I would require a certain number. However, since time is limited, we hope that this will encourage some students to go and see various productions and then connect them to what we are learning in class.”

Ritchie emphasized that plays aren’t intended to be read so much as to be performed and grasped by an audience. The connection between the audience and the actors can often bring out emotion, encourage more engagement and offer a different type of entertainment.

For this reason, instead of having a traditional test for their English 11 students at the end of first semester, both Ritchie and Keys decided to assign a performance project to their students after they finished reading “Hamlet.”

“It helps students to really live in the shoes of the characters in the play, but it also helps us to think like  directors and try to understand and make meaning from the text from a different perspective,” Ritchie said. “Speaking the words allows us to engage more fully with them.”

Drama and English 11 Honors student Ania Kranz believes these assignments are helpful for understanding a complicated text. According to Kranz, creative thinkers benefit from these assignments and the integration of arts and education, while more traditional learners are exposed to these creative outlets as well.

“The fact that some teachers focus on that in order to bring more attention to the arts is really amazing,” Kranz said. “I think when teachers like [Ritchie] understand the importance of incorporating 'traditional' learning with things like drama and art, there's not only a greater appreciation for the arts, but also a greater understanding of the material.”