This year, Riverside Theatre’s Will Power is presenting a dynamic, trunk-show version of Romeo & Juliet; Shakespeare’s timeless tale of love, conflict, and consequence. Will Power builds on the tradition of Riverside Theatre’s Free Summer Shakespeare in the Park, expanding access to the magic of live theatre and making Shakespeare accessible and relevant.
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
Following the performance, students and teachers will dive into Shakespeare’s world with a hands-on workshop led by professional teaching artists. Using drama-based pedagogy and the Folger method, workshops empower students to engage with Romeo & Juliet in ways that are creative, interactive, and fun. Learn more below!
WHY ROMEO & JULIET
Few stories captivate audiences like Romeo & Juliet. This timeless classic resonates with young people: from the thrill of first love to the dangers of unbridled emotions. Romeo & Juliet offers relatable characters and high-stakes drama, while also drawing parallels to modern social and personal challenges, encouraging students to reflect on themes of identity, conflict, and the power of choice.
DATES & DETAILS
Riverside’s Will Power performances and workshops are designed to take half the day – 4 class periods total – and is designed for up to 100 students.
Workshops are available: Monday – Friday May 12th – 30th, 2025
Will Power workshops are about process, not performance. We are not here to create or find the next great Shakespearean performer. We are here to get Shakespeare’s words into every students’ mouths. We are here to help students feel like they can connect his characters and themes with the world around them. We are here to help every student feel a sense of agency when entering the world of Shakespeare.
To achieve this, we root our curriculum development in drama-based pedagogy & the Folger model of teaching Shakespeare.
WHAT IS DRAMA BASED PEDAGOGY? Drama-Based Pedagogy uses active & dramatic approaches to engage students in academic, affective, and aesthetic learning through meaning-making that happens via conversation (Dawson & Lee, 2018). DBP Focuses on the process and approach to how students learn and engage…rather than the final product. According to research, DBP Learning Experiences should include: Some way for students to embody their learning, a narrative for students to explore (individually or as a collective), and moments when students are using their imaginations.
WHO IS FOLGER? The Folger Shakespeare Library is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. They are also committed to developing educational resources and practices that help students understand Shakespeare’s works.
WHAT IS THEIR METHOD? The Folger Shakespeare method believes that Shakespeare’s language is not a barrier, but a portal and that all student’s deserve the real thing. Understanding and engaging with primary source materials allow students to have honest conversations about the hard questions raised in the plays. They believe that every single student can learn this way, and every teacher can teach this way. They urge us to take Shakespeare off the pedestal and move him to a space where he can talk to everyday people…and other great writers. They encourage students and teachers to throw out themes, tidy explanations, the idea of a single right interpretation and remind us that the teacher is not the connector or explainer but rather the architect who sets up interactions through which your students and Shakespeare discover each other. Finally, they demand that we amplify the voice of every single student and ignite their excitement for literature.
They believe this…and so do we.
“It helped me with understanding the play, and realizing there are deeper meanings in the play.” – Student
“There was one student who, I swear, hadn’t said two words for the first half of the year…and he was the one volunteering to read first in front of the group.” – Teacher
“It made Romeo and Juliet seem a lot more fun and the activities made it easier to understand/keep up with.” – Student
“I felt like the teaching artists really enjoyed spending time with my students, like they wanted to be there with them in the classroom.” – Teacher
“I liked how we were able to read through the scenes multiple times to really understand them and get used to them.” – Student
“I’ve had my students act out the play before, but this was totally different. I got to see my students in a completely new way.” – Teacher
“ I liked being able to kinda get out of our comfort zones” – Student
Thanks to generous support from The National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, and locally from MidWestOne Bank – Will Power is available at no cost to schools.
To learn more and schedule your classroom workshop – please contact Riverside’s Director of Outreach & Education, Kathleen Johnson