Wits and Texas students tackle The Tempest
In March and April 2021, TCC affiliates James Loehlin and Clayton Stromberger partnered with TCC director Chris Thurman to facilitate a digital collaboration between students at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and their peers at Wits University in Johannesburg. Supported by Texas Global, the students engaged in a virtual exchange program that included shared classes and performance-oriented workshop sessions via Zoom.
The emphasis on performance took its cue from the teaching philosophy of UT’s Shakespeare at Winedale program, which is grounded in approaching Shakespeare through ensemble play and group invention. The focal point of the course was The Tempest, which facilitated discussion about colonial and postcolonial histories and geographies, as well as adaptation and translation.
Despite the Covid context, the UT students were able to give the traditional performance on the stage of Winedale’s barn-theatre. This was complemented by an experiment in the #lockdownshakespeare format: after exploring Prospero’s “Our revels now are ended…” speech from The Tempest (IV.i) in their Zoom workshops, Wits and UT students recorded audio and video material for Stromberger to edit together as the course culminated in May.
We think you’ll agree that the result is a transnational, multilingual success!