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This Element considers the intersection between Shakespearean drama and the exciting new medium of virtual reality. It discusses the key advantages and disadvantages of virtual reality, especially as it pertains to Shakespeare, and explores what Shakespeare can do for VR (rather than vice versa).

Reading Shakespeare through Drama arises out of case study research which focuses on reading as a socio-cultural practice. Underpinned by theories of reading, learning, drama and play, it is, nevertheless, rooted in the everyday work of secondary English classrooms. Utilising the dialogic ambiguities inherent in Shakespeare's playscripts, this collaborative approach to reading pays particular attention to adolescent readers as meaning-makers and cultural producers. The authors examine different iterations of 'active Shakespeare' pedagogies in the UK, the USA and Australia, drawing a distinction between 'reading through drama' as an approach and the theatre inflected practices promoted by well-known arts-based institutions. Observational and interview data highlight the importance of addressing issues concerning identity and representation that are inevitably raised by the study of canonical literature. Importantly, this Element situates teachers' practice within broader ideological contexts at institutional and national policy level, particularly from the perspective of England's highly regulated system of schooling.

Scores of women feel excluded from Shakespeare Studies because the sound of this field (whether it is academics giving papers at conferences or actors sharing performance insights) is predominantly male. In contrast, women are well represented in Shakespeare podcasts. Noting this trend, this Element envisions and urges a feminist podagogy which entails utilizing podcasts for feminism in Shakespeare pedagogy. Through detailed case studies of teaching women characters in Hamlet, A Winter's Tale, The Merchant of Venice, and As You Like It, and through road-tested assignments and activities, this Element explains how educators can harness the functionalities of podcasts, such as amplification, archiving, and community building to shape a Shakespeare pedagogy that is empowering for women. More broadly, it advocates paying greater attention to the intersection of Digital Humanities and anti-racist feminism in Shakespeare Studies.

Active approaches to teaching Shakespeare are growing in popularity, seen not only as enjoyable and accessible, but as an egalitarian and progressive teaching practice. A growing body of resources supports this work in classrooms. Yet critiques of these approaches argue they are not rigorous and do little to challenge the conservative status quo around Shakespeare. Meanwhile, Shakespeare scholarship more broadly is increasingly recognising the role of critical pedagogy, particularly feminist and decolonising approaches, and asks how best to teach Shakespeare within twenty-first century understandings of cultural value and social justice. Via vignettes of schools' participation in Coram Shakespeare School Foundation's festival, this Element draws on critical theories of education, play and identity to argue active Shakespeare teaching is a playful co-construction with learners and holds rich potential towards furthering social justice-oriented approaches to teaching the plays.