Teaching Will: What Shakespeare and 10 Kids Gave Me That Hollywood Couldn't

by Mel Ryane

Overview

“Highly enjoyable . . . A charming memoir that will amuse and inspire parents, teachers, and Shakespeare fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

What happens when an idealist volunteers to introduce Shakespeare to a group of unruly kids? Bedlam. Tears. And hard lessons learned.

Convinced that children can relate to Shakespeare's themes—power, revenge, love—Mel Ryane launches The Shakespeare Club at a Los Angeles public school. Teaching Will is a riotous cautionary tale of high hopes and goodwill crashing into the realities of classroom chaos. Every week, Mel encounters unexpected comedy and drama as she and the children struggle toward staging a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Woven through this fish-out-of-water tale is Mel’s own story of her childhood aspirations, her experiences in acting, and the heartbreaking end of her onstage career.

In the schoolyard, Mel finds herself embroiled in jealousy and betrayal worthy of Shakespeare’s plots. Fits of laughter alternate with wiping noses as she and the kids discover a surprising truth: They need each other if they want to face an audience and triumph. Teaching Will is an uplifting story of empowerment for dreamers and realists alike.

“Lively . . . Ryane manages both to be funny and not take herself too seriously.” —Publishers Weekly

“I found myself moved to tears by one sentence and laughing out loud at the next.” —The Huffington Post

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781939629432
Publisher:	Familius
Publication date:	05/07/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Following a distinguished career as a classically trained actor onstage and in film and television, Mel Ryane has found a new artistic home in the written word with her memoir, Teaching Will: What Shakespeare and 10 Kids Gave Me That Hollywood Couldn't.

Mel became a professional actor during her teens in her native Canada, then followed her career to New York City and to theatres across North America. After applying her skills to coaching actors on major studio and network projects, Mel was accepted into the Directing Workshop for Women at the prestigious American Film Institute. She subsequently wrote a screenplay that advanced to the semifinal round in the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.

Mel travels across the country teaching "From Page to Podium: Reading Your Work Aloud," a workshop that helps writers find their public speaking voice. She also offers school workshops introducing Shakespeare to students. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their dog and cat.

Table of Contents

• Chapter One: The School of Soft Knocks
• Chapter Two: My Kingdom for a Flute
• Chapter Three: Everyone Has a Price
• Chapter Four: Party to the Party
• Chapter Five: Winter Breakdown
• Chapter Six: Wits' Witless End
• Chapter Seven: Cast Away
• Chapter Eight: Prop Me Up
• Chapter Nine: A Rock and a Very Hard Place
• Chapter Ten: Miles to Go
Intermission
• Chapter Eleven: A Lonely Business
• Chapter Twelve: What Shakespeare Meant by Hamlet
• Chapter Thirteen: The Actor's Burden
• Chapter Fourteen: War Declared
• Chapter Fifteen: 442 Years Old
• Chapter Sixteen: Hitting the Wall
• Chapter Seventeen: What Fool This Mortal Be
• Chapter Eighteen: Cryin' Bad
• Chapter Nineteen: "I Always Knew I Wanted to Be an Actor—My Whole Life!"
• Chapter Twenty: And So . . .
Encore

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Oh! For a muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention! Mel Ryane is that fiery muse for a group of mischievous kids in a L.A. public school. What a terrific story, funny and brave! Shakespeare gives his actors a glimpse into their humanity, teaches them patience, and fosters their courage. Mel Ryane does the same for her wayward students, and they return the favor. Bravissima! How do we make Shakespeare Club mandatory for every school in North America? ~Len Cariou, Tony Award Winner, Member of the Theatre Hall of Fame

Helen Hunt

"Teaching Will sings with honesty, adventure, humility and humor. Only someone who loves Shakespeare would dare to do what Ms Ryane did and dare to write about it. The book is a joy." —Helen Hunt

EBOOK COMMENTARY

"Teaching Will sings with honesty, adventure, humility and humor. Only someone who loves Shakespeare would dare to do what Ms Ryane did and dare to write about it. The book is a joy." —Helen Hunt

Editorial Reviews

07/14/2014
A Canadian-born actress, now based in L.A., finds unexpected delights in guiding a group of motley elementary schoolers through a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. Having transitioned in her career somewhat bitterly from stage acting to coaching actors for auditions, Ryane responded gallantly to a plea by her local California public school, largely Hispanic and poor, for programming help: her after-school Shakespeare Club attracted a dozen or so curious kids (several quit along the way), mostly girls, some more rambunctious than others, but all eager for a new experience even if they had never seen a play in their life. Mesmerized by the strange wonders of the Elizabethan era and the powerful effects of the stage, for example, being able to enact emotions that are censured in real life like anger and revenge, the children absorbed the difficult language, and even excelled. Using plenty of incentives like parties and hugs, Ryane had to negotiate the delicate business of unstable home lives; the children’s penchant for potty humor, rendering a character called Bottom screechingly funny; and the fine art of casting. In her lively memoir reaching back to moments in her own acting career, Ryane manages both to be funny and not take herself too seriously, though the respect she instilled in the children is remarkable: respect for her direction, for each other, and for the genius of Shakespeare. (Aug.)

EBOOK COMMENTARY

07/14/2014
A Canadian-born actress, now based in L.A., finds unexpected delights in guiding a group of motley elementary schoolers through a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. Having transitioned in her career somewhat bitterly from stage acting to coaching actors for auditions, Ryane responded gallantly to a plea by her local California public school, largely Hispanic and poor, for programming help: her after-school Shakespeare Club attracted a dozen or so curious kids (several quit along the way), mostly girls, some more rambunctious than others, but all eager for a new experience even if they had never seen a play in their life. Mesmerized by the strange wonders of the Elizabethan era and the powerful effects of the stage, for example, being able to enact emotions that are censured in real life like anger and revenge, the children absorbed the difficult language, and even excelled. Using plenty of incentives like parties and hugs, Ryane had to negotiate the delicate business of unstable home lives; the children’s penchant for potty humor, rendering a character called Bottom screechingly funny; and the fine art of casting. In her lively memoir reaching back to moments in her own acting career, Ryane manages both to be funny and not take herself too seriously, though the respect she instilled in the children is remarkable: respect for her direction, for each other, and for the genius of Shakespeare. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"A charming memoir that will amuse and inspire parents, teachers, and Shakespeare fans. Overall, a bravura performance." —Kirkus Reviews

“In her lively memoir reaching back to moments in her own acting career, Ryane manages both to be funny and not take herself too seriously, though the respect she instilled in the children is remarkable: respect for her direction, for each other, and for the genius of Shakespeare.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Sings with honesty, adventure, humility, and humor. The book is a joy.”—HELEN HUNT, Oscar Winner

“What a terrific story, funny and brave! Bravissima!”—LEN CARIOU, Tony Award Winner

“Truly magical. I laughed out loud. Then I cried.”— CHRISTINE ESTABROOK, Drama Desk Award Winner

“Hilarious, tender, and instructive. She deserves our standing ovation.” — TOM HAYDEN, Author and Teacher

"I found myself moved to tears by one sentence and laughing out loud at the next. I promise you'll have a good time—and you might even be inspired by an urge to try something you've never attempted." — Huffington Post (featured review)

Endorsement

"A charming memoir that will amuse and inspire parents, teachers, and Shakespeare fans. Overall, a bravura performance."
—Kirkus Reviews

“In her lively memoir reaching back to moments in her own acting career, Ryane manages both to be funny and not take herself too seriously, though the respect she instilled in the children is remarkable: respect for her direction, for each other, and for the genius of Shakespeare.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Sings with honesty, adventure, humility, and humor. The book is a joy.” 
— HELEN HUNT, Oscar Winner

“What a terrific story, funny and brave! Bravissima!” 
— LEN CARIOU, Tony Award Winner

“Truly magical. I laughed out loud. Then I cried.” 
— CHRISTINE ESTABROOK, Drama Desk Award Winner

“Hilarious, tender, and instructive. She deserves our standing ovation.”
— TOM HAYDEN, Author and Teacher

"I found myself moved to tears by one sentence and laughing out loud at the next. I promise you'll have a good time—and you might even be inspired by an urge to try something you've never attempted."
— Huffington Post (featured review)

From the Publisher

2015-01-23
A former actress shares her experiences running a Shakespeare acting club at a Los Angeles elementary school as well as reflections on her own life and career. Canadian-born actress Ryane had walked away from an acting career and was working as an acting coach and living in LA with her husband, William, when she spotted a flyer that asked for "civilian help" to make Arden Street Elementary "the best school possible." She volunteered to run an after-school Shakespeare acting club at the school, where students were mostly of color and from low-income families, and transformed a rowdy, distracted group of children into an acting troupe ready to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream. She had them follow "rules" for the club: respect each other, Shakespeare, and the acting process and write in journals (excerpts are included here). Ryane soon realized that her group had issues beyond her own experience (literacy challenges) and reminiscent of her own life (facing the scrutiny of casting); she includes several autobiographical flashback sequences for context. Throughout the rehearsal process, Ryane learned to navigate the balance of leading and learning from the children, who proudly came together to play Titania, Bottom, et al., by year's end. Ryane brings a wry tone to this highly enjoyable memoir, and parents and teachers will undoubtedly appreciate her stories about working with children who are by turns sweet and wily. She effectively brings her pint-size players to life; Miles, the only boy in the production, is a particularly well-drawn character who goes from just wanting to swing a sword to itching to play Hamlet. It's inspiring how Ryane helped these kids step up to Shakespeare, and their journal excerpts are often hilarious ("William Shakespeare went to London because I like his plays"). The inclusion of various excerpts from Shakespeare's works also underscores the evergreen emotional connections to be found in the Bard's work. Overall, a bravura performance. A charming memoir that will amuse and inspire parents, teachers, and Shakespeare fans.

Kirkus Reviews