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A scene from “Speaking Daggers” program, in which Shakespeare on the Sound presents scenes from Shakespeare plays to illustrate lessons on bullying.
Acting out scenes from some of the Bard’s well-known plays, professional actors from Shakespeare on the Sound, with the help of Stratford’s Scott Bartelson, recently taught students in Norwalk, Stamford and Hartford different ways to combat bullying.
“Bullying and peer aggression is generally about an unequal balance of power,” said Emily Bryan, director of education for Shakespeare on the Sound, a professional theater company that has staged outdoor productions each summer since 1996 in Rowayton’s Pinkney Park.
As part of its commitment to education, in 2012 the theater company designed Speaking Daggers, an interactive program that allows young people to step into a scene that’s being played out onstage and change its outcome Using Shakespeare’s texts, which are fraught with power struggles, chaos, discord and sword fights. The actors demonstrate how a conflict, such as bullying, could be diffused.
Bartelson helped to create Speaking Daggers along with Bryan, who resides in Darien and Claire Kelly of New Canaan. Bartelson is the company’s full-time producing associate and teaching artist.
“We want the kids to put themselves in the characters’ shoes as they watch the scene play out,” Bartelson explained. “We ask them to imagine that they are in this situation and think about what they could do to change it.”
Speaking Daggers utilizes scenes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After watching the scene once, students are encouraged to shout “Stop!” during the second performance and enter the scene.
“There’s so many ways to respond when a conflict arises,” said Bartelson. “You could diffuse the situation with comedy, choose to walk away or even use your body to express your feelings.”
With a chuckle, Bartelson admitted that the majority of young people chose to respond with humor.
“They’ll say something like, ‘Let’s not fight. Let’s do a dance-off instead,’” Bartelson said. “It’s funny and engaging.”
Although weighty topics are introduced, such as conflict resolution, cyber bullying and empathy-building, Bartelson said the workshop is “light-hearted.”
Bartelson is also a graduate of New York University’s educational theater program. His résumé includes working with Shakespeare-to-Go, a touring troupe that performs 60-minute versions of Shakespeare’s plays at inner-city schools in New York City.
Iris McQuillan-Grace of Shelton has performed with Speaking Daggers. This summer she will also appear onstage as Phoebe in As You Like It.
“I was really blown away by how receptive the students were,” McQuillan-Grace said. “I was also surprised by their perceptions.”
Bartelson said the performance fee for Speaking Daggers is flexible.
“We’re a non-profit organization but we want to strike a balance and get into as many schools as possible,” he said. “We’re willing to negotiate with school districts interested in bringing this powerful program to their students.”
This season, As You Like It will be performed in Pinkney Park in Norwalk Thursday, June 13, to Sunday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Information about Speaking Daggers and the upcoming production of As You Like It is at shakespeareonthesound.org.