Home Learning for Live Theatre Evaluation using Twelfth Night by Shakespeare

2. Live Theatre Evaluation
Due to the restrictions in
place theatres, like most
places of entertainment are
currently closed.
The impact for us is that we
will be unable to see The
Comedy of Errors at the RSC
in June as planned.
Fortunately we had not
quite started work on the
play, other than the RSC
workshop we were able to
have.
Instead I have begun
planning for you to see ‘First
Encounters – Twelfth Night’,
an adaptation of
Shakespeare’s play by the
RSC. This is a shorter, more
accessible version aimed at
a young people. If all goes to
plan, the company will be
bringing the production to
us in school, or we may go
there to see it.

3. Home Learning Tasks
• Were we to be in class, we would be starting
to explore the play practically, paying close
attention to
• The Plot
• The Characters
• Key Moments of the play
• We would have been able to look at the key
moments within the play and act them out in
class.
• When we go to see the play, our aim will be
to focus on production elements.
• Because of this, we must already know at
least roughly, what action is taking place on
stage.
• It is like watching a film or reading a book
more than once so you can be able to discern
the craft and structure of the text.

4. Home Learning Tasks
• Therefore, we now have to do our level best to
gain an understanding of these from home:
• The Plot
• The Characters
• Key Moments of the play
• Thankfully, this being a Shakespeare play, there
is a wealth of resources online that you could
use to help you, and I will be placing links to
some of these in the lessons – but please use
more if you find them.
• I will set two activities each week for you to
engage with.
• They will be designed so that you collate a bank
of evidence and knowledge about the play to
use when we return (based on a September
return)
• I will update the same presentation each week
so that there aren’t multiple blog posts to
confuse you – just visit the blog to find the one
for the week.

5. Why Twelfth Night? Apart from the availability of the play to
us from the RSC, let me explain why it’s one of my favourites:
• When I first started working at the RSC as a
lowly follow-spot operator, one of the first
plays in my second season was Twelfth
Night. Although a revival and ‘not as good
as the last lot’ according to some of my
more critical colleagues, I thought the play
was amazing. Everything about it is well
balanced, no one scene is too long in my
opinion, as sometimes Shakespeare’s
scenes are (you’ve said goodbye once, why
are you saying it again two more different
times?). I probably saw it around 30-40
times whilst working on it. The play
returned in the 1999 season (another 60 or
so performances for me) and I have seen it
as an audience member another three
times since. The latest NT version makes it
even more!
• Twelfth Night is a comedy, but at it’s
heart is melancholic, with unrequited
love and an underlying sense of loss
and sadness as experienced by at least
three of the main characters, Viola,
who believes she has lost her brother
Sebastian, and Olivia, who starts the
play mourning her brother and Father.
The sub-plot, like A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, is as funny as anything
in it, but there is also a message in
there about taking jokes too far and
whether such cruelty is deserved.

6. Activity 1 –
The Plot
• If you search for a summary
of Twelfth Night it would
take about 0.34 seconds to
find one – so there’s no way
I’m setting that as a task
sorry!
• Instead you can complete
two tasks both of which are
aimed at you gaining an
understanding of what
happens in the play.
Together they will take you
the equivalent of both
lessons this week.
• Plot
• This is the story, or through-line
of your piece.
• A play may contain more than
one plot. A separate storyline
running parallel to the main
story is called a subplot. In
Shakespeare’s play, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, the
main story is about four young
would-be lovers lost in a wood.
A comic story about ‘rude
mechanicals’ who are
rehearsing a play for the Duke
Theseus’s wedding runs parallel
to it.

7. The Plot – Task 1:
Storyboard it
• Using the summary which follows, create a
storyboard of the play.
• A storyboard is a sequence of images which
can contain text below, which tell the story.
• Storyboards may look like picture books for
younger students but don’t underestimate their
power to convey the story effectively.
• Your storyboard should contain no less than
twelve images and no more than sixteen.
• Create it on a computer or on paper and keep
it for September revision.

8. The Plot – Task 2:
Speedy Speech
• Using the summary which follows, you are going to
record yourself speaking the whole thing as quickly and
as clearly as you can. Every word MUST be clearly heard.
• You will be up against me and anyone else who takes
this option.
• You will have to send me a recording of your attempt
and I will time you.
• Extra effort, such as a dynamic vocal tone, emphasis
etc. will go far in impressing the judges, plus it will be a
lot of fun to see or hear you having a go.
• The winner will be announced and we can work
towards the highest effort form all these tasks getting
some sort of amazing prize when we return to school.

9. Speedy Speech – my effort (still figuring out how you can hear this) I managed 1:06 with a couple
of stumbles near the end, but got through it!
I’m interested to see the methods you will use to record and send me your attempts via email as I
will probably learn a few things.
• Shipwrecked on the island of Illyria, Viola believes she is alone because her twin brother
Sebastian likely drowned. She disguises herself as a man and calls herself Cesario, and
begins to serve in the Duke Orsino’s court, where she ends up falling in love with the Duke.
The Duke is in love with a woman named Olivia who has recently lost her brother and her
father. She refuses to marry anyone for seven years. The Duke sends Cesario as an envoy
to Olivia on his behalf, but Olivia ends up falling in love with Cesario.
• Meanwhile, members of Olivia’s court conspire to make her obnoxious steward Malvolio
think that Olivia has fallen in love with him. They deliver a letter in her handwriting telling him
to act and dress strangely to prove his love for her. Olivia is appalled by his behaviour, and
Malvolio is locked up by the conspirators and mercilessly mocked. They do allow him to
write a letter to Olivia asking to be released from his prison.
• Sebastian arrives at the court, alive after all. Olivia asks him to marry her, thinking that he is
“Cesario.” Sebastian agrees, and they are married. Cesario and Orsino go to visit Olivia, and
Olivia greets Cesario, thinking she is the Cesario she just married. Sebastian arrives, and
Viola reveals her true identity. Orsino comes to realize that he’s in love with Viola and the
couples are happy with the outcome. Malvolio is released from his prison and swears
revenge on his tormentors.

10. Twelfth Night – your script
• Shipwrecked on the island of Illyria, Viola believes she is alone because her twin
brother Sebastian likely drowned. She disguises herself as a man and calls herself
Cesario, and begins to serve in the Duke Orsino’s court, where she ends up falling in
love with the Duke. The Duke is in love with a woman named Olivia who has recently
lost her brother and her father. She refuses to marry anyone for seven years. The Duke
sends Cesario as an envoy to Olivia on his behalf, but Olivia ends up falling in love with
Cesario.
• Meanwhile, members of Olivia’s court conspire to make her obnoxious steward
Malvolio think that Olivia has fallen in love with him. They deliver a letter in her
handwriting telling him to act and dress strangely to prove his love for her. Olivia is
appalled by his behaviour, and Malvolio is locked up by the conspirators and
mercilessly mocked. They do allow him to write a letter to Olivia asking to be released
from his prison.
• Sebastian arrives at the court, alive after all. Olivia asks him to marry her, thinking that
he is “Cesario.” Sebastian agrees, and they are married. Cesario and Orsino go to visit
Olivia, and Olivia greets Cesario, thinking she is the Cesario she just married.
Sebastian arrives, and Viola reveals her true identity. Orsino comes to realize that he’s
in love with Viola and the couples are happy with the outcome. Malvolio is released

11. Further resources
• Digital Theatre has the full play
• Spark Notes is always a great source of
information and has easy to read text
too
• I find the Rough Guide to Shakespeare
indispensable when studying his work
and something you will probably come
back to.
• Activities to follow each week…