Shakesperience is a live, interactive performance of The Merchant of Venice created especially for Junior Cycle students. It combines the energy of a full production with the clarity of a workshop, so students experience the play on its feet and also learn how it is made.
Gaiety School Of Acting
How it works
Over 90 minutes, a cast of professional actors perform key scenes from the play and pause throughout to talk through what is happening on stage. They explain choices around staging, character, set, costume and lighting, and invite students to think about how these decisions shape meaning.
The result is part performance, part practical lesson. Students see how a director and actors approach Shakespeare, and how the text comes to life in a contemporary production.
Why it helps students
Shakesperience is designed to support classroom learning by:
Making Shakespeare clear, engaging and accessible
Helping students follow plot, themes and relationships
Showing how performance choices influence interpretation
Encouraging questions, discussion and critical thinking
It is particularly useful for students who benefit from seeing and hearing the play rather than only meeting it on the page.
Who it is for
Junior Cycle / Junior Cert English students
School groups preparing to study or revise The Merchant of Venice
Teachers who want a curriculum focused, theatre based resource to deepen understanding of the play
Gaiety School Of Acting
Practical details
Shakesperience runs as a 90 minute session, typically scheduled as a morning or early afternoon performance to suit school timetables, with group bookings available for schools.
Venue: Clasac Theatre, Clontarf, Dublin
Dates: 13th – 28th January
Performance Times: 10am and 1pm
Price: 15 euro per student