by Arianna Pozzuoli and Robert Choi, Grade 4 Drama Teachers -

What happens when you mix cycling with Shakespeare? You get The HandleBards, a wildly entertaining, hilarious and environmentally friendly theatre troupe from the UK, who cycle to different venues around the world performing various Shakespearean plays.

On Friday, 11 February and Wednesday, 16 February, The HandleBards visited CIS Lakeside to perform Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream to our Grade 4 and Grade 8 students. Students gasped, screamed and at times were on the edge of their seats as this four-man troupe rotated between multiple characters (using a bicycle bell to show when they were changing roles).

The troupe started with a quick summary of the play so that students could keep track of the story and Mr. Driver, Mr. Choi and I were called on stage at different parts of the play to perform. No, it wasn’t planned! It was great fun for both students, teachers and parents.

Our Grade 4 students are currently reading Romeo and Juliet. The Central Idea in their Unit of Inquiry focuses on how role playing allows opportunities for creative expression. Students are learning how to role play different characters from the famous play, developing their ability to perform individual and group roles, as well as learning how to give positive and constructive feedback to others. What was especially wonderful about having The HandleBards perform for our students was how accessible they made the play for younger students. Students were able to connect their voice and performance checklists (P.E.T.S and P.E.G.S) to how the actors expressed their characters on stage. What The HandleBards did clearly rubbed off on the students, who have been eager to perform with more gestures and expression in class.

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A big “thank you” to The HandleBards for making the trek to Singapore and visiting CIS. In addition to their daytime school visits and workshops across Singapore, they also performed in the evening at Gardens By The Bay on February 12th, 13th and 14th.

Their 90-minute performance at CIS definitely had an enormous impact on the students, both in terms of drama and as world citizens. Students saw that being environmentally-conscious could be creative and fun, and can apply to all walks of life. To learn more about the Handlebards, you can visit their website.