On the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Eden Marine High School drama and English teacher Corrina Collins has been awarded a regional teacher mentorship with the Bell Shakespeare company.
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Ms Collins is one of only 30 teachers from regional, rural and remote Australian schools - 11 from NSW - to be awarded the year-long mentorship which includes four days of professional learning at Bell Shakespeare's headquarters in Sydney.
The teachers will receive specialist training in teaching Shakespeare, collaborate and network will fellow regional teachers and see Bell Shakespeare’s performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Sydney Opera House.
On return to Eden, Ms Collins will receive ongoing support from Bell Shakespeare’s artists and staff, as well as access to in-school and in-theatre programs.
I hope to demystify Shakespeare's works to our students ... if it makes it easier for the kids to understand and appreciate Shakespeare then it's worth it
- Corrina Collins
Ms Collins said the benefits stemming from her mentorship for her young students was paramount.
“I believe that this mentorship will assist improve the HSC results in drama and English ... as well as enabling students to connect more positively with Shakespeare as they can see the links to life-long learning,” Ms Collins said.
A further benefit would be to encourage a “love of classics” within the community, she said.
EMHS principal Ian Moorehead said the school was geographically isolated and it was often difficult to provide these types of experiences to both the students and teachers.
Bell Shakespeare artistic director Peter Evans said the company was committed to sharing Shakespeare with all Australians.
“Our goal is that all audiences, regardless of age or location, are given the opportunity to experience the imagination and range of human emotions that are still relevant to students 400 years after the stories were written,” he said.