b'that the simple start to growing closer to nature.is about what you do, not howAn Assortment of Important Notes and Transcribed long you takewe need to notice nature, not just visit it (2022:9)and it was onlyThoughts From My Experience On This Module (Acting after completing this exercise did I decide to adopt a new perspective on eco- theatre and how I cultivated my relationship with nature. Shakespeare)According to Simon Estok, theorising ecophobia helps it become visible, Sean Fennellunderstandable, and subject to action (Estok, 2019); the first step to conquering it is understanding. This module has made me more conscious of the value of Sean Fennell reflects on his experiences adapting and rethinking Shake-fostering a relationship with nature since it is from this relationship that we can speare: seeing his texts as tool, rather than myth.begin to take steps to preserve the environment. Its wonderful to be able to take part in activities that have allowed me to view nature from a different perspectiveWhat drives you?because it has made me rethink my conception of it. As ecophobia is a problemIn terms of how this essay relates to my personal driving forces, I think it that many people are reportedly experiencing, these arts-based activities are ais reflective of my belief in clarity of purpose and taking a more principled great way to help people begin re-establishing their relationship with nature and toapproach to artistic endeavour. In an increasingly economicallymake the reintroduction to nature less intimidating. Slowing down and polarised world, the arts are becoming less and less accessible to the appreciating nature is the first step Ive taken to improve my relationship with working class, I find that so much of the art I see created is reflective of nature as a result of this module. When I walk to campus, Ive started to pay morethis. With a seemingly endless supply of sequels and remakes, playsattention to my surroundings and look at the greenery instead of my phone screen,marketed not on innovation or ideas but the celebrity of their stars, and an and I believe this is just the beginning of my new journey of trying to foster my arts world dominated by self-centred, uncritical children of wealth. In my relationship with nature.essay, I seek to clarify why the greatest artistic figures in history(specifically Shakespeare) are held in this esteem, and why it is important not to be blinded by the gleam of performance, symbols and signifiers, that art is wonderful not only because it brightens our history, but clears a path for our future. If we focus too much on trying to replicate the legendaryauteurs of old, we risk neutering the indispensable breeding ground ofradical change that is the world of art.I chose the Shakespeare module to learn how to be what I hadconceptualised as a classically trained actor. This was the wrong reason, Akers, C. (2022) Nature: Love, fear & loathing, Eco Resolution. Available at:and I knew it as soon as we had our first seminar. And exactly because of https://www.ecoresolution.earth/resources/love-fear-and-loathing Accessed:this, in that same moment I knew I had picked exactly the module I needed 02 January 2025.to be on.Estok, S.C., 2019. Introduction: Theorizing Ecophobia, Ten Years In. ISLE:Shakespeares plays are not universally valid, but rather endlesslyInterdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 26(2), pp.379387.adaptable, making Shakespeare current and useful. Shakespeare is Richardson, M. and Butler, C.W. (2022)far from a tabula rasa. Shakespeare remains alive today in large part The nature connection handbook: A guide for increasing peoples connectionbecause the canon has become a self-validating, self-regenerating with nature. United Kingdom: Natural England. commodity in the global cultural marketplace. (Joubin, 2018)Schaberg, C. (2022) Ecophobia. In: Pedagogy of the Depressed. London:This idea is particularly resonant through its deconstruction and demystification Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 4347. of the Shakespearean canon. People, particularly budding actors (such as myself), Sobel, D. (1996) Beyond ecophobia: reclaiming the heart in nature education.may find tackling Shakespeares work to be an especially daunting task. Due in part Great Barrington, Massachusetts: The Orion Society. to the endless insistence of his role as a traditional, classic author, many gravitate towards trying to simply present the text and narrative [exactly] as it would have 56 57'