Welcome to PSF’s
SUMMER EDUCATOR INTENSIVE!
Spark your creativity and elevate your teaching at PSF’s Summer Educator Intensive, the premier summer retreat for Theatre and English Language Arts educators. Nestled in Center Valley PA, on the campus of DeSales University, this immersive week-long experience combines hands-on workshops and expert-led sessions to reinvigorate your passion and expand your professional toolkit. Dive deep into the world of Shakespeare theatre pedagogy with our intensive summer program designed for educators. Return to your school inspired, with innovative techniques to engage students and bring literature to life on stage and in the classroom.
Perfect for educators specializing in Theatre and English Language Arts. Over the course of a week, participants will:
- Participate in hands-on educational workshops
- Engage in Q&A sessions with professional artists
- Attend masterclasses led by industry leaders
- Attend live performances
- Observe rehearsals for our season productions in process
- Engage in one-on-one sessions with instructors
- Collaborate with a cohort of peers
There are only 15 spots available, ensuring that each educator has a personal, enriching, and productive experience.
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Cost:
Residential option – Participant will be housed in The Villages at DeSales University – on campus housing including individual rooms and bathrooms, with access to a full kitchen. Monday June 23 (morning move in) – Sunday June 29 (morning move out) — $1200.
Non Residential/Local option – Participant will take part in the entirety of the program, but will stay at home overnights. Program begins Monday June 23 and Closes Saturday June 28. — $750
For questions or to register, please contact Kim Carson, Director of Education and Community Engagement at [email protected].
MONDAY
10:00 – 12:00 – Welcome Breakfast: We eat, we do a couple ice breaker activities, we introduce instructors
12:15 – 1:30 – First Workshop: Introduction to Summer Educator Intensive: this week’s content; Goals, Objectives, and Assessment. Answer questions and get the lay of the land. (lead by Kim Carson) You’ll come away with an understanding of content, community agreements, and expectations from SEI, as well as discussing common challenges we face in the classroom – looking forward to developing solutions.
1:45 – 3:00 – Second Workshop: Shaking Up Shakespeare Part I: A movement based approach to teaching the Bard’s works… Often students relate to Shakespeare as a tedious homework assignment. How can we get them up and in their bodies in order to understand the larger concepts of story and character? How can we help them relate to Shakespeare’s characters by engaging in kinetic learning? You’ll come away with at least three methods of engaging students physically in Shakespeare’s characters that you can add to your lesson plans.
3:00 – 4:30 – Afternoon Break: Take time to grocery shop, have lunch, unpack, etc.
4:30 – 5:45 – Third Workshop: Beyond the Iambic Pentameter : A dive into Shakespeare’s language, offering inventive ways to explore the Elizabethan slang and rhythm that often feels confusing or off-putting to our students. Language is a living, evolving thing – how can we help our students to connect with language in new and engaging ways? You’ll come away with at least three activities to add to your lesson plans that will engage students in the language of Shakespeare’s plays.
6:00 – 7:30 – Dinner Break
7:30 – 8:30 – “Fireside Chats” / One on Ones / Individual Time: This is a chance to chat with your cohort mates or sign up for a slot to meet with an instructor one-on-one to ask questions and reflect on your experiences.
TUESDAY
10:00 – 11:20 – Fourth Workshop: Page to Stage: Performance Based Shakespeare Instruction Part I: Using classic acting methods and techniques to engage students in the Bard’s work is not only helpful for Theatre instruction, but for the English Language Arts classroom as well. Introducing a play the way Shakespeare was meant to be experienced – though performance – is invaluable for students’ comprehension of character, plot, and themes. You’ll come away with at least three exercises to add to your lesson plans that will increase student understanding of the characters in Shakespeare’s work.
11:30 – 1pm – Fifth Workshop: Shakespeare’s Universal Themes: Connecting 16th Century Plays to 21st Century Lives: Explore how Shakespeare’s timeless themes continue to resonate in our modern world. Through exploring topics from popular Shakespeare plays such as power and ambition, political dynamics, love and relationships, and Social Justice through today’s lens, discover how the Bard’s insights into human nature remain remarkably relevant to our daily lives and current social issues. You’ll come away with practical discussion starters and activities to add to your lesson plans.
1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 – 3:30 – Rep Rehearsal Observation: You will sit in on a professional rehearsal for one of the two plays in rep at PSF, gaining valuable insight on how professionals work on plays.
3:45 – 5:00 – Q&A with a PSF artist: Costume/Set Designer Names Here: A look at the process of Designing for a Production
5:00 – 7:00 – Dinner Break
7:00 – 8:30pm – “Fireside Chats” / One on Ones / Individual Time: This is a chance to chat with your cohort mates or sign up for a timeslot to meet with an instructor one-on-one to ask questions and reflect on your experiences.
WEDNESDAY
10am – 11:30am – Princess and Frog Rehearsal Observation: Again, you are invited into the rehearsal room with a professional director, this time working with the Young Company at PSF.
11:40 – 1:00pm – Sixth Workshop: Shaking Up Shakespeare Part II: A movement based approach to teaching the Bard’s works… Often students relate to Shakespeare as a tedious homework assignment. How can we get them up and in their bodies in order to understand the larger concepts of story and character? How can we help them relate to Shakespeare’s characters by engaging in kinetic learning? You’ll come away with at least three methods of engaging students physically in Shakespeare’s characters that you can add to your lesson plans.
1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 – 3:30 – Rep Rehearsal Observation: You’ll be back in the rehearsal hall to observe the other play in rep at PSF.
3:45 – 5:00 – Seventh Workshop: Reflection and Lesson Planning: Work in groups to brainstorm creative lesson plans and reflect on your experiences. Share challenges and “lightning bulb” moments from your work. Creating a lesson plan is part of your SEI completion assessment for Act 48 hours. Working and creating together will elevate this experience and make it more fun!
5:00 – 7:00 – Dinner Break
7:00 – 8:30 – “Fireside Chats” / One on Ones / Individual Time: This is a chance to chat with your cohort mates or sign up for a slot to meet with an instructor one-on-one to ask questions and reflect on your experiences.
THURSDAY
10:00 – 11:30 – Eighth Workshop: Page to Stage: Performance Based Shakespeare Instruction Part II: Using classic acting methods and techniques to engage students in the Bard’s work is not only helpful for Theatre instruction, but for the English Language Arts classroom as well. Introducing a play the way Shakespeare was meant to be experienced – though performance – is invaluable for students’ comprehension of character, plot, and themes. You’ll come away with at least three exercises to add to your lesson plans that will increase student understanding of the characters in Shakespeare’s work.
11:40 – 1:00pm – Q&A with PSF Artist: Jason King Jones: What’s it like to be an Artistic Director of a professional theatre company (and how it’s similar to running a high school drama program)
1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 – 4:00 – Masterclass with special guest: Yes And: Improvisation with Mary Carpenter: Explore ways in which improv can be utilized in your classroom to support students’ critical thinking, engagement, and fun.
4:15 – 5:30 – Ninth Workshop: “Weed Your Better Judgements:” Innovative Assessment Methods for the Bard’s Works: Brainstorm and explore assessment methods beyond the typical test. Keeping students engaged, even while being assessed, is critical for top performance and retention. Learning should be fun! You will come away with at least two practical ideas for assessment to make grading more effective and enjoyable.
5:30 – 7:15 – Dinner Break
7:30 – Performance: The Producers, with a talkback following the show!
FRIDAY
10:00 – 11:30am – Q&A with PSF artist: Jen Childs: Directing the Producers
11:45 – 1:00pm – Tenth Workshop: Character Deep Dives: Psychological Approaches to Shakespeare’s Protagonists/Antagonist: Discover ways to connect/help your students to connect to Shakespeare’s characters through thought and psychology. You’ll come away with discussion topics, prompts, and activities to add to your lesson plans.
1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 – 4:00 – Masterclass: Eli Lynn: Simple Stage Combat/Intimacy Training Every Director Can Use: If you ever direct or discuss a play or musical, you will use this training.
4:15 – 5:30 – Eleventh Workshop: Reflection and Lesson Planning: Work in groups to brainstorm creative lesson plans and reflect on your experiences. Share challenges and “lightning bulb” moments from your work. Creating a lesson plan is part of your SEI completion assessment for Act 48 hours. Working and creating together will make this or effective and more fun!
5:30 – 7:15 – Dinner Break
7:30 – Performance: Raisin In the Sun Opening Night!
SATURDAY
10:00 – 1:00 – Community Day: Enjoy the festivities, and catch the 11:30am Performance of Much Ado About Nothing!
1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 – 3:15 – Q&A with PSF Artist: Akeem Davis: Directing Raisin in the Sun
3:30 – 5:00 – Masterclass: Playwrighting with James Ijames: Encouraging the Next Bard: In this masterclass you will explore the process of playwrighting, discovering writing prompts that you can take back to your classroom.
5:00 – 6:00 – Evaluations and surveys
6:00 – 7:30 – Closing Dinner
7:30 – 8:30 – “Fireside Chats” / One on Ones / Individual Time: This is a chance to chat with your cohort mates or sign up for a slot to meet with an instructor one-on-one to ask questions and reflect on your experiences. This could also be your time to kick back or retreat into your room for quiet time or pack up for moving out in the morning.
SUNDAY
Move Out – “Now, lords, take leave until we meet again,
Where’er it be, in heaven or in earth.”
— Henry VI Part III, Act II, scene 3
*Schedule is subject to change.
Meet your instructors:
Jessica Bedford – Jessica Bedford is an Associate Professor of Theatre at DeSales University and Artistic Director of Act One Productions at DeSales University. A Philadelphia based actor, director, dramaturg, playwright and teacher. She has been seen onstage at McCarter Theatre, Walnut Street Theater, Lantern Theatre Co, Montgomery Theatre, Act II Playhouse, Tiny Dynamite, Theatre Horizon, People’s Light, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Theatre Co. and other stages in the Philadelphia area. Recent directing credits include DeSales University, Delaware Shakespeare, the Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Act II Playhouse, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and the McCarter. As a writer, her works have been produced with Passage Theatre, 1812 Productions, Recognize Theatre, Act II Playhouse, Tiny Dynamite, Villanova University, the Philadelphia Artists Collective, and Juniper Productions. Jessica has taught at Villanova University, Temple University, Montgomery County Community College, DeSales University and University of the Arts. She was a finalist for the 2018 F Otto Haas Emerging Artist Award from Theatre Philadelphia and a 2012 finalist for NY Stage & Film’s Founder Award. She is co-author of the satirical play The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged which saw two sold-out runs in Philadelphia and will be produced at Riverside Theatre in Iowa in December 2021 and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Summer 2022.
Mary Carpenter – Performer, Education Director, Former Artistic Director at CSz Philadelphia – Home of ComedySportz
Kim Carson (Core Teacher) – Kim Carson is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. She also currently serves as Theatre Director at Louis E. Dieruff High School. Before joining PSF, Kim served in the Allentown School District and Saucon Valley School District, and for the last 20 years, has worked as a professional actor/director/playwright. Credits include 59 E 59, Walnut St, Arden Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Peoples Light, John W. Engeman Theatre, and many more. Kim has received two Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in Philadelphia.
Jennifer Childs – Ms. Childs is the Director of PSF’s 2025 season production of The Producers. Jennifer Childs is a Co-Founder of 1812 Productions and has served as the company’s sole Artistic Director since 2006. For 1812 she has created over 20 original works of comedic theater including The Carols, To the Moon, It’s My Party: The Women and Comedy Project, Cherry Bomb and the annual political humor show, This Is The Week That Is. She created a series of shows that looks at comedy history which enabled her to develop relationships with and perform the work of pioneering comedians such as Phyllis Diller, Tom Lehrer, Sid Caesar, Mort Sahl, Dick Gregory, Bob Elliot, Steve Martin, Bob Newhart and others. Her solo shows, Why I’m Scared of Dance and I Will Not Go Gently have been performed at City Theatre in Pittsburgh, Act II Playhouse, the Kohler Center for the Performing Arts in Wisconsin, People’s Light and Delaware Theatre Company. She is the recipient of three Barrymore Awards (Best Supporting Actress in a Play 1996; F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Theatre Artist 1999 and Best Actress in a Musical 2016) and two Independence Foundation Fellowships in the Arts. In 2003 she was the recipient of the Silver Star Outstanding Alumni Award from her Alma Mater, the University of the Arts.
Akeen Davis – Akeem is the Director of PSF’s 2025 season production of Raisin in the Sun. Akeem Davis, from Miami, Fl, is a graduate of The Florida State University. Akeem has been a guest lecturer with bi-co theatre program. Regional credits include Arden Theatre Company: A Doll’s House, Gem of the Ocean; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: The Arsonists; Folger Theatre: District Merchants, King John; People’s Light: All My Sons; Theatre Horizon: Lobby Hero, In The Blood; InterAct Theatre: The Dangerous House of Pretty M’bane, Marcus/Emma; Theatre Exile: Buzzer; Simpatico Theatre Project: The Brothers Size; Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival: Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V. A Helen Hayes and Barrymore Award nominated actor, as well as recipient of the 2015 F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist.
James Ijames – James is a Professor at Villanova, on leave to take time to write! He cemented his status as a defining playwright in American theater when he received the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Fat Ham—a modern take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He joins the ranks of legends like Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Wendy Wasserstein and Lin-Manuel Miranda in attaining this coveted distinction, the highest national honor in literary achievement. It was a watershed moment for the prolific playwright, director and educator, whose works have been produced nationally to critical acclaim. Writing plays since age 14, Professor Ijames first rose to prominence in the Philadelphia performing arts scene in 2011 when he was named the recipient of the F. Otto Haas Award, given to an emerging theater artist. Since that time, the list of distinctions and prizes has been long and extensive, including four Barrymore Awards, two each for acting and directing; a 2019 Kesselring Prize for his play Kill Move Paradise the 2015 Pew Fellowship for Playwriting; and the 2015 Terrence McNally New Play Award for his witty and provocative White. With the Pulitzer Prize comes an even wider interest in Professor Ijames’ past plays, several of which are being staged in major cities like Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. He has also had a number of new works commissioned and is excited to bring those to audiences, along with continuing to teach the next generation of theatre professionals at Villanova.
Jason King Jones – Jason King Jones is the Artistic Director at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Prior to moving to the Lehigh Valley with this family, Jason spent ten years at Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center, where he served as Senior Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Director of National Players, America’s longest-running touring theatre company. At Olney, Jason directed over twenty productions, mentored over 200 early-career theatre makers, and established various in-school and summer educational programs. As a freelance director, Jason has worked across the US, including the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Jason is an Acting Company alumnus, a proud member of the PSF Board, and a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association’s IDEAA Committee, and Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit & Business Partners Council. Jason holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Missouri State and an MFA in Directing from Boston University.
Eli Lynn – Eli Lynn is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist based in Philadelphia. In addition to their performance work as an actor, singer and dancer, Eli is a Barrymore Award nominated fight director, combatant, and teacher with Arte Violenta. They are also a Certified Intimacy Director with Intimacy Directors International and Intimacy Directors & Coordinators. Eli’s stage combat and work in intimacy direction has been seen on stages across the Philadelphia area. Outside of the theatre world, Eli is also a visual artist, working in paint and digital mediums.
K. O’Rourke – K.O. is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at DeSales University. She is a bicoastal actor, movement director and educator. She is a member of the 9th cohort of trauma-informed teaching artists through Bartol Foundation. She has collaborated with many regional and international theatre companies as an actor, director, intimacy director and choreographer, including Bristol Riverside Theater, Teatro Delle Due, Moon Puppet Theater, Kalinari Dance Theater, Lantern Theater, People’s Light, EgoPo Classic Theater, Maples Rep, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Philadelphia Theater Company, Saratoga Shakespeare Festival, Walnut Street Theater, Inis Nua, Theater Exile, Azuka Theatre, Simpatico Theatre and Wilma Theater. Research/Studies include: Intimacy and consent-forward spaces for stage and film, movement for the actor, and Russian and Ukrainian language studies. She is a certified yoga instructor (ashtanga-based vinyasa). She studied Zen meditation at the San Francisco Zen Center as a guest student, and continues to develop the ways in which that practice is able to inform all her affairs. K.O. runs a nonprofit ballroom dance company, which collaborates with under-served areas based in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Camden.