McGregor in the Vines to have Shakespearean appeal

Fancy spending a weekend at a vineyard while being able to contribute to your professional development? Then An Audience with Shakespeare is for you. 

Run as part of the second annual USQ McGregor in the Vines series, the weekend workshop will be held at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism in Stanthorpe on 16 and 17 April.

Hosts of the workshop, USQ’s Dr Laurie Johnson and Dr Darryl Chalk, are excited about the chance to unlock the world of Shakespeare in a new and innovative way.

'This will be a great weekend for people who love and want to learn about Shakespeare,' Dr Johnson said.

'It will be particularly worthwhile for teachers as we will look at how to invigorate Shakespeare in a classroom setting, resources you can use and teaching it in an innovative way.

'Plus it will count towards the professional development quota that teachers have to meet.'

Ideal for teachers and students of English, Literature and Drama, this workshop will also appeal to any fan of the Bard.

Dr Johnson and Dr Chalk have also released a book on Shakespeare – Rapt in Secret Studies: Emerging Shakespeares - and have over 30 years combined experience in higher education.

'There is a lot of baggage that comes with Shakespeare and we will be looking beyond that baggage to understand how the plays were put together in the first place,' Dr Chalk said. 'But this isn’t just history, we will look at the challenges it presents today and the challenges that it presented at the time it was written. We will be moving away from reading Shakespeare’s plays like books towards treating them like plays – the way they should be treated.'

The first day of the event will concentrate on a general sessions, with workshops occurring on the second day. The weekend’s sessions include Q&A with Shakespeare, CSI Shakespeare, a series of short lectures and workshops.

Teachers interested in attending the weekend are invited to contact Dr Johnson or Dr Chalk to advise which Shakespearean play they are teaching in 2011, and discussion on those plays will be included where possible.

An Audience with Shakespeare will cost $440, which includes morning tea, afternoon tea, lunch and dinner (including wine).
Places are limited do 30 participants and registrations close on 1 April 2011.

More information is available from the McGregor in the Vines Series website or through the USQ McGregor School office on 07 4631 2755.