Month: September 2023

Remembering Michael Gambon

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It’s a moment of tragic irony, worthy of King Lear himself that the actor who played Snape died before the actor who played Dumbledore, but here we are. I’m saddened to say that we’ve lost another beloved Shakespeare and Harry Potter actors.

Michael Gambon (

Gambon was born in Ireland in 1940. His first Shakespeare role was in a production of “Othello” at the Gates Theater in Dublin Ireland. He went on to win an Olivier Award, a BAFTA, several SAG awards, and was knighted in 1988.

Sir Michael became accomplished both on TV, in movies, and on stage. He played many of Shakespeare’s greatest roles, including a famous performance as King Lear with Antony Sher at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here are some highlights of his stage work:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2015/feb/09/michael-gambon-on-stage-from-king-lear-to-krapp-in-pictures

Now before I go on, I’d like to address the elephant in the room, or rather the MEME in the room:

I’ve never understood the animosity that Gambon got for changing the interpretation of this line, and no one seems to have a real explanation for why he changed it from the book. So this is all speculative, but as a Shakespeare actor myself, I want to provide some rational explanations that while you might not like his choice, you hopefully won’t come to the conclusion that it was the “Worst mistake ever.”

1. If You Don’t Change Something, You’re Not Doing Your Job

All Shakespearean actors know that every line they say has been spoken thousands of times before out of the mouths of hundreds of actors. It therefore follows that the actor has to find a way to make the character his or her own. Gambon knew that Richard Harris had embodied the character as a sage, god-like figure. Gambon’s decision to make the role different helps make his interpretation memorable.

2. Gambon’s Dumbledore is not the same man as Richard Harris’

In the first two books, Harry Potter is just beginning to learn about the wizard world, so he sees Dumbledore as a god- like father figure. By his third year though, Harry starts to see Dumbledore as a man, a powerful wizard, but also a man. This comes across very well in Gambon’s performance- he forgets thing, he gets frustrated, and he makes mistakes. Much like how all children see their parents differently as they grow up, Harry, and through him the audience, see Dumbledore differently as the series continues.

My Theory- Why Is Dumbledore So Furious With Harry?

My personal theory is that Dumbledore isn’t actually mad at Harry, he’s mad because he believes that the person standing in front of him isn’t Harry. Spoiler alert for later in Goblet of Fire, but we that an intruder has snuck into Hogwarts, and Dumbledore must have had suspected that Voldemort would try this. What if he suspected that Voldemort sent an agent disguised as Harry to infiltrate the school? This would explain the fury Dumbledore displays toward Harry when he sees he’s been entered in the Triwizard Tournament.

As an educator and a father, I would be absolutely furious if someone tried to break into my school and harm my students, and since Dumbledore is the closest thing Harry has to a father, you can see why Dumbledore would be especially angry. So maybe this is why Gambon chose to deviate from the book in his interpretation of Dumbledore.

Sources:

https://pagesix.com/2023/09/28/sir-michael-gambon-dumbledore-in-harry-potter-dead-at-82/

https://www.mtv.com/news/3m9lil/harry-potter-and-the-gobleddafiyah

Activities For Students and Teachers: Make A Shakespeare Club!

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Privacy Note

I’m not going to say where my club is or mention the names of the members for privacy’s sake. This post is to familiarize you with the idea, and hopefully inspire your school to do the same.

The Genesis

Like I said in my “Is Shakespeare Being Cancelled?” post, most teachers don’t have the time, training, or inclination to teach a really in-depth Shakespeare unit. Most classes I’ve worked in barely have enough time to cover the plot of Romeo and Juliet, before they need to work on another unit. This is why I started a Shakespeare club, to give kids time to engage with Shakespeare without having to worry about grades.

Mission Statement:

 Shakespeare was NOT meant to be read. In this club, we’ll engage with Shakespeare’s plays through games, sword fighting, dramatic readings, movies, and sometimes even recipes! The goal of the club is to have fun with classic works of theater.

Organization

Every month we will discuss a new play and try to explore different aspects of it each week. For each week we’ll do the following:

  1. Weekly questions such as: “What do you know about Shakespeare the man?” or, “Are Shakespeare’s plays still relevant today?”
  2. Group Close reading- Every month I’ll choose a different play to focus on. We’ll pick a scene or speech each month to look at and read aloud.
    1. I’ll provide some context, explaining what is happening in the play durin the speech, and any relevant historical context.
    2. There will be a dramatic reading, either by me (or a brave soul in the club).
    3. We’ll watch a recording and discuss their interpretation and what the students like and don’t like.
  3. Immersive activities such as:
    1. -Pool Noodle sword fights
    2. – Shakespeare’s arts and crafts and recipes such as gingerbread men contests and making costumes and props.
    3. – Shakespeare movie-watching party with such films as 10 Things I Hate About You, ‘O,’ “Gnomio and Juliet,” “Hamlet,” and others. 
  4. Weekly challenges like “Find a Shakespeare quote that you use in normal speech,” “Find a movie or character that’s based on Shakespeare,” or “Draw a picture of a Shakespearean character (stick figures are acceptable). Each challenge is rewarded with a digital badge, which the students can trade for Shakespeare swag at the end of the month!

Meeting RecapS

  • Meeting 1: I talked about Shakespeare’s life, using the same format as this video:
  • Meeting 2: To get the kids to connect with Shakespeare’s plays, I had them take a personality quiz to figure out which Shakespeare play they might want to read:

https://www.zoo.com/quiz/which-shakespeare-play-fits-you

I then asked the students to research the play they got, then asked them to fill out a Jamboard, like the one I made below- using photos and short descriptors to get a general idea of their new favorite play!

So as the school year continues, I’ll create more recaps and post more discussions to let you know how this little experiment is coming. Since this is a new idea, I’d love to get your feedback because I want as many people as possible to help make this project a success!