Middle School Mavens

t all began seven years ago at Durham's Rogers-Herr Middle School. That's where Joseph Henderson first began teaching Shakespeare to children and developed his program, "Shakespeare Through the Eyes of the Middle School." Henderson developed the curriculum to introduce masterpieces of literature to children in a way they could understand. "If Hamlet is called a masterpiece, then there must be something in it for everyone," Henderson said.

But how do you relate Hamlet to children in Durham in the early 21st century? Henderson captures the issues of the play and explains them in terms the kids can relate to. By making analogies between Hamlet and real life, Henderson helps the kids to absorb the complex plot. With modern parallels in mind, they are ready to tackle the language, which is sometimes difficult for many adults to comprehend.

The Rogers-Herr production of Hamlet proved to be not only successful, but also unique. With the help of the Duke Club of Washington, the children performed Hamlet on the stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and gained national news coverage on CNN and National Public Radio. The following year Henderson returned to the Kennedy Center a second time with Romeo and Juliet.

Back in Durham, Henderson began teaching Shakespeare at the five Duke-supported middle schools in the city. His energy and intensity about his work are evident in the way he speaks. Henderson recalled one of his secrets to working with the kids: "To be at my very best, I have to be as fast as the remote control." Henderson moves quickly to hold the kids' attention and make it fun.

A year ago this October, Henderson and his wife, Cynthia, founded the Walltown Children's Theater, where they teach classes and put on plays. Now Henderson's Shakespeare program has a new home and he has the resources to teach other performing arts areas and produce other plays. Children ranging from ages eight to 14 can take different levels of dance, tap, fencing and acting. Cynthia has also started a class called "Gingerbread Jam" for four- to five-year olds. The class is a combination of disciplines so younger kids can find different ways of learning art through imagery. "If kids can imagine--imagination is where it all begins--then they can create,"Cynthia Henderson said.

This past summer, Walltown Children's Theater put on a hip-hop production of Romeo and Juliet in the parking lot. Now, the kids are working on a show tentatively entitled Bangie about gang life based on real events. The group is writing the show as they go and hope to perform it at a national conference on gangs in June. The show will then tour Durham's housing projects and community centers in hopes of raising awareness about gangs and changing kids' decisions to join them.

Friday at 11am and 5:30pm, Walltown is hosting a presentation of their work for the Yates Baptist Church Preschool, but all are welcome. Tucked one block off Club Boulevard on Berkeley Street, Walltown is certainly one of Durham's hidden treasures.