Yesterday, I had the opportunity to teach three rounds (6 hours!) of “How to Become a Shakespearean Actor in 90 Minutes” for Mrs. Dana Conrad’s theater class at Shivela Middle School in Murrieta. I know it shouldn’t, but it still surprises me that 11 and 12 year olds can be such confident, intuitive, and overall excellent actors. A few of them were able to memorize and perform 60- to 75-word Shakespearean monologues with less than ten minutes of preparation. Well done, Dana. Your kids love the theater, which I’m sure is partly your doing.
Author: admin
Rob Crisell is an author, actor, teacher, and Shakespearean in Temecula, CA. He teaches poetry and Shakespeare with the Murrieta Valley Union School District as part of its Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program. He is a Shakespeare lecturer with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He has acted in The Merchant of Venice, Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), Baskerville, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest (Prospero), Macbeth, Othello (Iago), and others. Over the quarantine, he has acted in Much Ado About Nothing and Merry Wives of Windsor (with Nathan Agin’s “A Working Actor’s Journey production) and King Lear (Quarantine Players). He has written and performed several one-man plays featuring Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Shakespeare in America. He’s the author of Shakespeare’s Book of Wisdom: Advice on Living a Wiser, Happier Life from William Shakespeare & Friends (DePortola Press 2018). His 2016 TED Talk is “How NOT to Hate Shakespeare.” His verse adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra will be produced by Full Circle Players in Riverside, California in October 2020. He is a graduate of Yale University and George Mason University Law School. For details, visit www.robcrisell.com or www.facebook/robcrisellactor/.
Zoo of Impossible Animals at the Author’s Festival in Huntington Beach
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been chosen as one of the featured presenters at the Authors Festival, an annual event sponsored by the Friends of the Children’s Library in Huntington Beach, CA. I was selected to speak on The Zoo of Impossible Animals (and maybe some Shakespeare!) for about 250 students at Saints Simon and Jude School on January 31. Thank you to Gail Page, the event chair, for all your help.
And just a reminder: The Zoo of Impossible Animals would make an IDEAL Christmas present for the children in your life. If you order today, there is still time to get a copy for the holiday!
Note about ZIA from a Happy Reader in Virginia
I received this kind email from a mother of two in Charlottesville, Virginia, about The Zoo of Impossible Animals:
Hi, Rob:
My kids loved your book. I just ordered six more copies to give as gifts and to donate to our library. I was hoping you could write a message in 2 of those: 1 for each of my kids. I’d like to give them both a copy they can keep and take with them as they grow up to read to their kids, like we did with their other favorite books,such as the BFG. They can’t wait for the second book! Thanks so much for considering and congratulations. — Erin
Thank you, Erin!
If you haven’t gotten your copy of the ZIA–or if you’d like to buy one for your local library–don’t be shy. Order your book on Amazon or at robcrisell.com.
Thanks as always for your support.
Rob