Jennifer De Reuck

The scripting of this play took place against a background in Australia of political invective and social conflict as the war in Iraq gathered pace. With a target audience of middle primary school children I wanted the play to engage them in thinking about the serious issues that confront us all as positions harden and tolerance is tested without allowing the 'themes' to emerge with the didacticism that sometimes blemishes Theatre in Education (T.I.E.) productions (my own, early productions included). Central to the action of the plot is the notion that agency is possible, even for the young who must often confront adult power over their decisions and choices...

A theatre in education e-book title by Jenny de Reuck that offers young playgoers an introduction to many of the characters from Shakespeare’s comedies including Feste, the Jester, Toby Belch, Maria, Sly and Sneak, Simple and Mistress Quickly. The tragedies are represented by characters in the subplots such as Hamlet (a mouse), Romeo (a dog) and Juliet (a cat) all of whom contribute to Will’s play in some way. Shakespeare at Sea combines fact and fiction to evoke a past era and invites children to go on a theatrical journey with the performers to other imagined worlds. The e-book contains the script of the play, film clips featuring interviews with the writer-director and the collaborators in set and costume design, photos and drawing of costumes, characters and set and a collection of drawings children made after seeing the performance.