Shakespeare Week Flashback: A Tradition Like No Other

 
 
Shakespeare has been a part of our school for more than 60 years and is looked at as a rite of passage for the eighth grade class. The entire week of the Shakespeare play is full of activities and excitement leading up to the big production. The annual Shakespeare production is held in mid-November and is a capstone to the first trimester each year.

The history of the Shakespeare play at Powhatan School goes back to the 1960’s. The Headmaster at the time, Mr. Donald Niemann, created the rich tradition that we are so fortunate to see in place today. His efforts were then carried on by none other than Mr. Dick Bell, a beloved master history teacher and the director of the Shakespeare play for 35 years. We sat down with Mr. Bell in 2017 to talk all things Shakespeare in the video below.
 

 
 
Mr. Bell began his teaching career at Powhatan in 1973, and began directing the Shakespeare play in 1982 with the production of The Tempest. Over three decades of passion and enthusiasm for Shakespeare that has impacted hundreds of students, has put Mr. Bell in a category that makes his name synonymous with Shakespeare at Powhatan School, matched only by his beloved predecessor and founder of Powhatan’s Shakespeare productions, former Headmaster Mr. Donald Niemann. Mr. Bell retired from teaching in 2016.