Lectures & Seminars
- Bespoke content, tailored to teacher’s specifications.
- Ideal for GCSE, AS/A2 and International Baccalaureate Diploma.
- Delivered by a leading expert in this field.
Since 2000, Daniel Rosenthal has given hundreds of Shakespeare lectures and seminars at schools and colleges in England. Author of Shakespeare on Screen (Hamlyn, 2000), described by the TES as “a first-class teaching resource”, and 100 Shakespeare Films (BFI, 2007), he teaches undergraduate Shakespeare courses for the International Programmes department at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Daniel places adaptations in context and shows digitized film clips via computer. He compares different interpretations of key scenes from original-text Shakespeare films (e.g. Branagh, Olivier, Welles and Zeffirelli) and ‘genre adaptations’, such as O and Maqbool, which modernize plot, language and settings, turning Othello into a high-school basketball player or Macbeth into a Mumbai gangster.
He says: “I always discuss content in advance, tailoring sessions to each teacher’s requirements. Clips are chosen to illuminate text in performance, on stage and screen, by exploring – and encouraging pupils to respond to – fundamental questions posed by the film extracts. How do the techniques of film directors, performers and designers differ from those used in Elizabethan/Jacobean and contemporary theatres? Why do soliloquies become screen voiceovers? Why do film-makers often show what Shakespeare only describes? What do ‘genre adaptations’ reveal about Shakespeare’s language, characterization and themes?”
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) is one of the genre adaptations explored in Daniel's lectures Sessions can be held in any AV-equipped classroom or hall. For large audiences, such as sixth-form General Studies or extra-curricular societies, lectures have a general focus, exploring several plays. For smaller groups, lectures and seminars complement exam preparation and coursework, focusing on Shakespeare set texts in English Literature GCSE and AS/A2, English Lang. & Lit. AS/A2, Drama & Theatre Studies AS/A2 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. All Shakespeare plays can be covered, with content linked to Assessment Objectives such as evaluation of detail; production and reception of texts; cultural/historical context; comparative interpretation. Relevant courses include: OCR Eng. Lit. GCSE (Unit A661: Shakespeare & Film); AQA Eng. Lit. GCSE (Pre-1914 Drama Coursework); OCR Eng. Lit. AS/A2 (Drama: Shakespeare); AQA Eng. Lit. AS/A2, A and B (Extended Essay & Shakespeare Study; Dramatic Genres); AQA Eng. Lang. & Lit. AS/A2 (Comparative Literary Studies; Texts & Audience); OCR Eng. Lang. & Lit. AS/A2 (Changing Texts); AQA Drama & Theatre Studies AS/A2 (Live Theatre/Prescribed Play); IB Diploma (Language A1: Individual Oral Commentary & Individual Oral Presentation). To find out more, please contact Daniel. For Film Festivals, Independent Cinemas & Film Clubs Daniel Rosenthal is available to give pre- and post-screening lectures for film festivals, cinemas and film clubs around England. Previous talks include “The Merchant of Venice on Film” at Poole Arts Centre, “Olivier and Branagh’s Shakespeare Films” at the Chichester International Film Festival and “Silent Shakespeares” at the Bath Film Festival. To find out more, please contact Daniel.
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View Lecture Clip
In this extract from a 2007 lecture, Daniel discusses Hollywood's first feature-length Shakespeare film of the sound era, The Taming of the Shrew (1929).
View Clip
What Teachers Say
“We were all absolutely delighted with your Tempest session. It was well-informed, inspiring and thought-provoking; just the thing for just before the exam.”
JULIAN BELL, Head of English, The Godolphin and Latymer School, London.
"Daniel Rosenthal’s fascinating and wide-ranging lecture was a rich and lively talk, interspersed with clips from different versions of several plays, which gave credence to the vitality and relevance of Shakespeare in our time. His commentary on the transformation of the Shakespearean text by directors, cinematographers and actors convinced his audience of the power of the medium to communicate Shakespeare’s work to contemporary audiences. Enjoyable and thought-provoking, witty and engaging, this talk is suitable both for school and university students.”
RUTH GREENHALGH, Head of Sixth Form, Sevenoaks School
