November - 2019

Shakesperience 2018: What Does Shakesperience Mean You?

Samantha Godard, English Literature Honours and Creative Writing and Journalims minor at Bishop's University. Shakesperience is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s like no other class in the world. ... You get to experience it with the most amazing people! People who are interesting in the same things as you or who are hungry to learn as much as the can about the world of Shakespeare and of theatre. Moreover, this course is taught in one of the best classrooms you could sit in:

Shakesperience 2019: Why Do You Continue to Participate in Shakesperience?

Katarina Margaret Baasner, double major in English and History and minor in Drama at Mount Allison University. I loved being able to meet new people and develop friendships and connections and be able to be around others who have a similar passion for Shakespeare, theatre and literature. I also loved being able to learn from three amazing professors who definitely inspire me with their love of Shakespeare and learning. I love seeing all of the different shows, as attending th

Shakesperience 2017: One of The Best Weeks of My Life

Katarina Margaret Baasner a English Major, minors in Drama, History and Women's and Gender Studies student at Mount Allison University. What a week this has been. This trip has been such an incredible experience. I have absolutely loved this experience. I was so excited to have had this opportunity to take part in this trip. When the Mount Allison Dean of Arts sent out the information about this course I was really excited. I immediately Face Timed my mom and dad and I said

Shakesperience 2019: What Did You Gain From Shakesperience?

Aunika Braun, double major in English Literature and Political Studies at Bishop's University The most valuable part for me about Shakespearience was the way it brought our group together and stimulated academic growth and comradery within a diverse and dedicated learning collective. Everyone on the trip had their own goals for learning, and differing ways they wanted to benefit from the experience (and we all reached our goals and more during our week in Stratford!). Through

Shakesperience 2017: Combining Voices and Experiences

Darcie Talbott, English Student, Bishop’s University This class, ENG225, left a mark both on my educational life as well as my personal life. I developed a deeper respect for those who make their living in the arts, not just on stage but behind the scenes. I learned to expect the unexpected in life and the immense importance of respecting other opinions, especially those that don’t line up with my own. I have learned more here than in any other classroom in my entire life, b

Shakesperience 2017: Shakespeare Was Only Half The Fun

Brianna Henshaw, English Literature student, Bishop's University Four days, six plays, four post-show chats, three workshops, and three behind the scenes tours. That's a lot to do with little time for classroom talks. But that's exactly the point: this wasn't a regular classroom experience, and it wasn't trying to be. Though we had little time for normal classroom learning (and when it did happen it was over dinner, before shows, sitting at benches in a park) we had more than

Shakesperience 2017: Every Moment Filled with Excitement

Mary-Francis Kobelt, Drama Student, Bishop’s University I think back on this course and I have to say it was wonderful if not life-changing. Every moment of the week was filled with excitement and an opportunity to learn. With an oh-so passionate professor like Jessica, eager and excited students, inspiring and very talented actors willing to share their wisdom and amazing productions to watch, I learnt a colossal amount of things in such a short period of time. I could never

Shakesperience 2017: A Heightened Experience

T. Rose Seitz-Lavoie, English Major, Sports Studies Minor, Bishop’s University This course was marketed as an intense course that would cover six plays in a week including a musical, told to be the ‘Shakesperience of a lifetime’. It accomplished exactly that. We started off in a classroom, students from Bishop’s, Acadia, and students at different points in their lives. We spent that day excitedly learning from Dr. Riddell, soaking up as much information as we possibly could.

Shakesperience 2017: Original and Unique Experience

Lauren Boultbee, Business Student, Bishop’s University Shakespearience – there are no words that can effectively portray how truly incredible this course was. In today’s day and age originality and uniqueness are increasingly hard to come by but Shakespearience had that and more in spades. Shakespearience immersed us in culture, introduced us to different characters and gave us an opportunity to make connections that will last a lifetime. A course such as this will continue t

The Shakesperience of a Lifetime: Bishop’s University’s Experiential Theatre Course Takes the Stage

Attempting to teach theatre in an English Literature course must be a daunting prospect. A far cry from the highly individual experience of reading a novel or poem, theatre is both a visual and communal spectacle; this medium is a challenge to capture in a traditional lecture-based classroom and harder still to convey this three dimensionality to undergraduate students. Putting on a theatrical performance takes an enormous number of people, all with different roles and contri