Normandale continues partnership with Guthrie Theater with Shakespeare course
The Educational Partnership between Normandale Community College and the Guthrie Theater will continue in spring 2009 with the ENGL 2120 Shakespeare course.
Students learn at the Guthrie
Students will attend the productions "of Henry V" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona," along with spending three class sessions at the Guthrie for professional presentations by various staff members. Guthrie designers, technicians, directors and actors will discuss how they transform the text of Shakespeare into a live production. Students will receive vouchers for themselves and a guest to attend a backstage tour of the Guthrie Theatre as well.
A growing partnership
The partnership between Normandale and the Guthrie Theater began in spring 2008 with the greatly successful launch of the ENGL 2120 Shakespeare course. English Instructor Paula Garland will teach the newly designed literature class for the second time in the upcoming spring semester. Garland said that Normandale plans to continue offering this course and possibly expand the partnership to other courses in the future. "It certainly is our intention to keep going with it," Garland said. "Our first experience was great and the students loved it."
A new way to study literature
The majority of the partnership's success was due to the overwhelmingly positive response from students. Jonathan Knight, a Normandale student who took the Shakespeare course in spring 2008, said the added theater component made studying Shakespeare more enjoyable. "There were times during the visits to the Guthrie where I forgot I was even in a class. It was just fun," he said. The Guthrie partnership allows students to learn in ways they can't in a normal literature course, according to Garland. She said that students going to a theater, seeing the play and being involved with the creation of the production after studying the text in the classroom is "an ideal way to teach Shakespeare and to really get the students excited about it."
For further details on the course:
1) Go to the Academics English Literature page.
2) Locate ENGL 2120.
