Janis Hashe will teach a six-week class “Shakespeare for the Elizabethan Impaired” at the English Rose Tea Room, beginning March 12 and running through April 16. Plays covered will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and Richard III, with two class sessions spent on each play. As with the just completed “Oscar Wilde: Nothing Except My Genius,” students can sign up for the whole series, or for individual classes.
Ms. Hashe created the class 14 years ago and has taught it through colleges and at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. She is the producing director of Shakespeare Chattanooga, which has presented The Othello Project and Twelfth Night at the CTC, the original compilation, Songs, Sonnets and Soliloquies from Shakespeare in Renaissance Park, Much Ado About Nothing with the First Baptist Church, The Merchant of Venice at the Jewish Cultural Center and which will present All’s Well That Ends Well with the Grace Players this August.
“When people find out how involved I am with Shakespeare, the response often is, ‘Oh, I never understood that in school,’ or ‘I couldn’t stand Shakespeare,’” Ms. Hashe says. “So I designed the class for people who didn’t like his work when they were introduced to it, but now would like to find out what all the fuss is about.” But, she notes, “I usually have quite a few people who do love Shakespeare and just enjoy the opportunity of reading and discussing his work.”
This time, in particular, people may enjoy talking about the recent discovery of the skeleton believed to be that of Richard III.
Shakespeare for the Elizabethan Impaired will be from 6:30-8 p.m. at the English Rose Tea Room, 1401 Market St., Tuesdays, March 12, 19, 26 and April 2, 9 and 16.
Cost for all the classes is $175 and includes tea/desserts each class. Individual classes are $35.
The topics covered are:
March 11: Shakespeare The Man: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 1
March 19: Rough Magic: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Part 2
March 26: How Many Hamlets?: Hamlet, Part 1
April 2: Good Night, Sweet Prince: Hamlet, Part 2
April 9: Black As He’s Painted—Not: Richard III, Part 1
April 16: My Kingdom For a Horse: Richard III, Part 2
Pre-registration is required. There is a maximum of 15 students. To register and for more information, contact Janis Hashe at 622-2862 or jhashe@epbfi.com.