Is Shakespeare at Home Free?
Yes. Shakespeare at Home is a non-profit that provides free bespoke activities to engage with Shakespeare's work and the Renaissance world.
How does Shakespeare at Home use and store my information?
We don't. We will never ask for or otherwise procure your personal information for you to use Shakespeare at Home. There is no need to join up, register, or subscribe at any point to use Shakespeare at Home. We have an optional service to alert you when we publish your new activities called The Quill which requires an email address. We do not use, sell or otherwise collect, process or pass on including but not limited to personal data. Nor will we ever contact you asking for such information.
Is The Quill a newsletter?
No.
What is The Quill and is it free?The Quill is free. The Quill is a publication alert sent by email notifying our patrons each time a new activity is published. If you opt-in to receive The Quill we email solely to inform you that your new activity is published and available.
How can I opt-out of The Quill?
Easily. You you can opt-in or out at anytime using an email address of your choice and we recommend using an alias email for your added privacy. To opt-in to The Quill you only need an email address of your choice, you are not required to provide any other information to receive The Quill like your name, age or location and we will never contact you asking for such information. Once you opt-out of receiving The Quill your email address is perminantly deleted. We use a private encrypted email server powered by Proton in Switzerland.
Why did Shakespeare at Home introduce The Quill?
For everyone. Although social media is very popular The Quill allows anyone not using social media the same opportunity to be alerted to when your new activities are published with a preferred choice of communication.
What advertising can I expect to find in my free activities?
None. The Shakespeare at Home website and your free activities along with all other elements are free from advertising.
Where are my free activities hosted and are they secure?
Adobe securely hosts and encrypts all of your activities, and the easiest way to use them is via the free Adobe Reader.
Is this website and are my free activities accessible friendly?
Yes. This website, as well as all of your activities, is dyslexia friendly and we are neurodiverse inclusive. All of your activities are designed to be used by both left and right-handed people, and they're all print-friendly to save ink. We also suggest when printing for someone who is dyslexic to consider using paper which is thick enough to prevent the other side showing through.
You can visit the following organisations to better understand and find further support on dyslexia and neurodiversity:
Does Shakespeare at Home support environmentally friendly practices?
Yes. In order to save ink, we also recommend choosing print in grayscale and choosing recycled paper or card to print each exercise on; however, if you are using double-sided printing, remember to deselect that option when prompted before printing your activity.
Shakespeare at Home is a member of the Love Paper global campaign, run by not-for-profit Two Sides, which informs consumers on the positive and sustainable practice of using paper products.
Shakespeare at Home is committed to sustainable and positive practices in all use of paper products and we commit to the following:
1) We will only purchase paper products which are not sourced from or are a result of deforestation and have a traceable production history.
2) No indigenous peoples and local communities must be adversely affected by the production of any of the paper products we use.
3) Species on the endangered list must not be displaced, have there habitats destroyed or otherwise damaged or adversely altered in the production of the paper products we use.
Does Shakespeare at Home issue other resources?
Yes. We provide additional educational resources within each activity which are more accessible to read in closer detail on an electronic device. In order to save on paper they don't need to be printed unless you want to.
Can I share my free activities with others?
Yes. We encourage you to share and engage with Shakespeare's work with others through your free activities. There are no copyright restrictions on how many people you can share your free activities with so have fun together or on your own exploring the Renaissance world with Shakespeare and his friends.
Can I use my free Shakespeare at Home activities at School, College or Univercity?
Yes. We encourage you to use and share your free activities anywhere around the globe.
Can I use my Shakespeare at Home activities commercially?
No. It is important to us that the resources we make freely available through Shakespeare at Home remain free. That means that you may not use the material from Shakespeare at Home for commercial purposes.
How can I share how I am getting on with my activities using social media?
We are now officially on Instagram, you can find us @ShakespeareAtHome - this is our only social media platform. Where age restrictions apply please ask permission before using social media.
Are there other ways for me to share my Shakespeare at Home activities?
Yes. Shakespeare's work was meant to be spoken and not read with the exception of the Sonnets. Engage with your family, friends, colleagues and classmates face to face, use eye contact and share your experience of Shakespeare, together in its purest form - by putting Shakespeare on its feet. You can also write to us. Have fun!
Do my free activities come with instructions?
Yes. Follow the directions for each activity in turn and have fun completing them all and where need be we suggest the help of an adult to safely supervise the use of scissors and glue, etcetera.
Which version of Shakespeare's plays does Shakespeare at Home use?
The First Folio. We read pretty much everything on Shakespeare and we encourage you to do the same. However, we do recommend when drawing on Shakespeare's work to consult the First Folio. We recommend the free and complete digitised facsimile of Shakespeare's plays using the Bodleian First Folio created by Oxford Univercity.
Why does Shakespeare at Home use the First Folio?
The First Folio is considered contemporary to Shakespeare and the most accurate and authentic version of Shakespeare's voice and work. The First Folio was produced by two of Shakespeare's friends and colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. It is estimated that at least eighteen of the thirty-six of Shakespeare's plays published in the First Folio would have been lost if Heminges and Condell hadn't produced the First Folio. The First Folio was published in 1623 around seven years after Shakespeare's death in 1616.
Some words in my activities look like they're spelt wrong, are these mistakes?
Great observation. We always use the original Elizabethan English spellings for words exactly as Shakespeare wrote them and we hope you enjoy learning more about this through your free Shakespeare at Home activities.
Why use the original spellings and not change them to modern day English?
The original spelling of words is important in understanding the rhythm and feeling in which they were delivered by Elizabethan and Jacobean actors to express Shakespeare's intent fully to the audience. In essence it has always been vitally important to see ourselves represented, to be able to step into each others shoes - Shakespeare gives us that opportunity for perspective with his deliberate choice of words.
Does Shakespeare at Home publish new activities?
Yes. We publish new activities throughout the year.
If I have any questions how can I contact Shakespeare at Home?
We would love to hear from you. You can use the contact form on this website, email us directly at goodmorrowtoyou@shakespeareathome.org or write a letter to Neil Alan Bell.
