MR BONFIGLIO'S SABBATICAL IN ENGLAND

Joe Bonfiglio (shown here at HHS with seniors) is the senior class advisor and a longtime English teacher. He writes: Thanks to a fellowship at St. Andrew’s University and the generosity of Hanover High, I spent January-March 2005 in Great Britain on a sabbatical studying Shakespeare and other English poets.

At St. Andrew’s in Scotland I took courses on Tragedy in the Age of Shakespeare, Shakespeare & Film, Tragic Forms, and Comedy & Society. I also visited Scottish secondary schools to compare literature-instruction techniques. In London I visited the Dickens Museum, the Globe Theater and the British Library in connection with classes I teach at Hanover High. At the Globe I attended a full day workshop. I got to spend time in each area of the theater and worked with teachers from all over the U.K. Then in Stratford-on-Avon, I filled out my lifelong study of Shakespeare with visits to The Swan Theatre and Shakespeare’s birthplace. At the Centre for Shakespeare Studies I used the library for a day of study. This special library houses the complete catalogue of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production materials. At the Swan Theatre I saw 2 productions and toured the theater.