Other

Bardwatching: Autumn Term 2 (2023-24)

When it comes to the Bard, she's an inveterate twitcher. Freya Parr shares what she's spotted through her beady bardy binoculars.
 Anthony and Cleopatra, RSC, 2017
Anthony and Cleopatra, RSC, 2017 - Helen Maybanks

Teachers in a Florida county will no longer be allowed to study Shakespeare plays in their entirety, thanks to legislation introduced by the hard-right Republican governor Ron DeSantis on teaching about sex. The Parental Rights in Education Act was signed into law in March 2022 but was expanded in April this year to ban all public school students in Florida from learning about gender identity and sexual orientation, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can opt out of.

School district officials in Hillsborough County redesigned their instructional guides for English teachers because of these revised teaching standards, deciding to only give students assigned pages and passages from Shakespeare's texts, rather than reading them in their entirety.

Register now to continue reading

Register to the Drama & Theatre website today and gain access to all the latest news and developments from the world of drama education.

By registering you will receive:

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion on our website

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here