Our second Genius Day took place on November 23 and was dedicated to the life and work of William Shakespeare. Like our inaugural Genius Day in June focused on Charles Darwin, November’s Genius Day was a great success! Hosted once again at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, we increased the number of spots available, and all were filled. Our delegates, the children, had read and prepared their pre-reading materials and were ready to dig deeper!

Led by Louise Hindle and Independent Shakespeare Company actor and educator Andre Martin, the day of deep learning began with an interrogation into the very concept of genius, then delegates engaged in a scavenger hunt exploring Shakespeare鈥檚 social, historical and literary contexts. After lunch, we were fortunate to enjoy a docent tour of the newly refurbished Library Hall and get up close to the First Folio. Thanks to Andre Martin, we closed the day and celebrated mastery through the dramatic exploration of Henry V.

Take a look at some photos from the event!

优蜜视频鈥檚 Academy program provides young gifted students with challenging enrichment classes that focus on exploration and the application of knowledge. This fall’s Academy session offers a variety of courses, including the new class Looking for Shakespeare, taught by Independent Shakespeare Company actor Andre Martin.

Ellie and Charlotte are 11-year-old Academy students who attended , an event held by 优蜜视频 in collaboration with the . This is a post Ellie and Charlotte wrote about their experience at this event.

A friend of ours involved with 优蜜视频 invited Charlotte and me, Academy veterans, to a taster for one of 优蜜视频鈥檚 new fall classes, Looking for Shakespeare. That friend was Louise Hindle, . The taster was an invite to attend the play As You Like It performed by the Independent Shakespeare Company (or ISC) at Griffith Park last Thursday evening. In addition, as students of Academy, we were able to take a private tour of the backstage area with ISC actor and teacher of the new class, Andre Martin. This was a special treat. After we took the tour, we did a few fun activities with Andre to give us an even better idea of what the class might be like. Andre was very enthusiastic about teaching us, and we all loved learning from him.

The backstage tour was one of the most enjoyable parts of the evening, especially since Charlotte and I share a love of performing Shakespearean scenes. Before the play began, Andre led us all onto the stage and then took us behind the scenes and downstairs to the backstage area, where we could see the actors getting ready, putting on make-up and preparing their costumes. Andre explained some of the plot and introduced the characters from the play. We were lucky enough to meet some of the actors, including the man who played both the evil and benevolent Duke in the production as well as the actor who played Orlando, one of the lovers.

Following Andre, we left the stage and gathered on the grass for Andre to lead us in an acting game. 鈥淚magine how a kind Duke would walk,鈥� Andre told us. Charlotte, the other students and I walked in circles around Andre, imagining ourselves as a charitable person in authority. 鈥淕ood,鈥� Andre said. 鈥淣ow how do you think a lover would walk?鈥� A few of us wandered aimlessly, donning a dreamlike expression, and he laughed. I was beginning to wish my schedule would permit me to take this class鈥�

Leading us back to our seats, Andre encouraged us to pay careful attention during the play and kindly offered to answer questions or confer with him during intermission. As Charlotte and I took our seats and waited for the play to begin, we started to chat about our activities with Andre. We both agreed that Andre鈥檚 class would be an amazing and informative class to take. We also conversed about some of the things we had already learned with Andre. He had explained to us the plot of the play and quizzed us on the characters. We also got to hear his insights and opinions on certain parts of the play, such as the famous 鈥淪even Ages of Man鈥� speech and the fascinating character, Touchstone. We both took pleasure in hearing and learning about all of these things. Andre was very fun and energetic while he taught and was excited when we expressed our love for and experience with Shakespeare.

Once the play started, we were immediately pulled into its plot. The skilled actors captured our attention with their life-like portrayal of emotions and character traits. Soon, we noticed the different styles of the costumes used to represent the differing groups in the play. The courtiers dressed in elegant, fancy dresses and suits, while the forest exiles were dressed in more practical clothing for their setting. Also, the characters traveling into the forest wore clothes they thought would be suitable but were not and so they had to change identity.

Both Charlotte and I appreciated the depth of the production. When it was over, we thanked Louise and Andre for inviting us to the inspiring performance. Any kid taking Andre鈥檚 class in the Fall will surely enjoy it, we thought. As for this special taster event: now that night was one we would never forget.

Interested in Academy classes for gifted Kindergarten 鈥� 8th graders? The fall session starts September 21. Sign up today!

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