Abstract:
This article discusses the intricacies of producing a Shakespeare play for a radio audience. In 2015, in collaboration with Davidson College's classical radio station, WDAV, the author and her Radio Shakespeare class produced and performed The Merchant of Venice in its entirety, consulting the history of radio performance of Shakespeare, listening to several performances, and reading theory of radio performance alongside selected criticism of Merchant. Of all the outcomes, the effects of performing without a traditional live audience were most surprising.
Keywords: Close Reading, Collaborative Learning, Shakespeare, innovative pedagogy, teaching drama, teaching through performance