Shakespearian Stories

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The following has been designed to give you information in advance of your visit to Manchester Art Gallery so that you can get the most out of your morning or afternoon activity session.

Aims:

Two visitors in the early 19th century gallery

  • To introduce and welcome visitors to the Art Gallery collections and exhibitions
  • To introduce the story of ‘The Tempest’ through historical and contemporary art
  • To use the paintings as a visual stimulus to deconstruct and understand themes and text from the play
  • To encourage enthusiasm and motivation for reading more Shakespearian Plays
  • To develop specific speaking, listening and questioning skills
  • To support pupils to develop friendships and cooperative skills

What happens in a session:

  • The workshop takes place on the galleries and will be lead by a gallery educator, who stays with the group throughout
  • The workshop will focus on key pre-selected paintings which we use to illustrate scenes from the Tempest, but may be subject to change at short notice
  • Pupils gain confidence to engage with the art works through a range of fast paced, focused drama and creative writing techniques
  •  Pupils work individually and collaboratively, both in small groups and as a whole class, to explore the content of the artworks and how they illustrate turning points in the plot
  • Pupils develop key skills such as enquiry, empathy, managing feelings, self-awareness, reasoning, and drawing on their own experiences and beliefs to offer solutions for problems

Preparation:

  • The pupils will get more from the session if they have an overview of The Tempest and are familiar with the key characters
  • Pupils should have some knowledge of who Shakespeare was and be familiar with some of the themes he explored in his poetry and plays
  •  Explain the reasons for no touching or eating in the galleries, i.e. for the protection and conservation of artworks
  • Bring a minimum of 1 adult to 10 pupils

Follow Up:

  • Use drama skills used in the gallery in class to explore further scenes from the play
  • Project the images from the gallery website onto an Interactive Whiteboard to repeat the experience and further develop the ideas through writing and drama
  • Encourage students to revisit the gallery to collect further information or to use the collection as a starting point for future project work

For more information including booking, parking, facilities and a downloadable risk assessment, please go to plan your visit.