After graduating from UCLA with a degree in English and a teaching credential, Bill Walthall returned to his hometown in Ventura County, California, to teach English and drama at Oxnard and Hueneme High Schools. Having spent a decade in the classroom, he took a year off to recharge his batteries, but was pulled into the private-sector rat race as a technology consultant.
In the intervening years, he never lost his passion for literature, education, and theatre. He resumed literary study, earning a Masters in English. He has presented papers at conferences, workshops for educational groups, and inservices for schools. He currently runs the blog, The Bill Shakespeare Project, breaking down the entire canon of the Bard's plays.
He has appeared in and directed plays (ranging from Shakespeare to world premieres), has taught Shakespeare for actors, both adult and child. He has recently begun film work, starring in student films and improv-based court television series.
Bill Walthall
actor | writer | teacher | dramaturge
Need an English or drama substitute teacher in the Hueneme Elementary or Oxnard Union High School Districts?
Contact Bill through Aesop/FrontLine!
Need English or drama tutoring in the Ventura County area?
Bill's here to help…schedule a lesson with him through WyzAnt!
Flipgrid from long-term sub gig
Prepping to teach Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar magazine cover project
Tutoring through Wyzant
Shakespeare for Actors (Camarillo Skyway Playhouse)
Praise from former director...
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Are you a director? Need some Shakespearean assistance?
Bill can help you as a dramaturge, helping you bridge your production from the page to the stage, providing background information about past productions of your play, discussing of verse rhythm and word meaning with actors, as well as helping you edit your script to focus on your vision. Post-edit, he can also provide you with a chart showing which actors appear in which scenes (thus helping you multi-cast your production).
As a former teacher, Bill knows how to bring Shakespeare to the students. He can deliver lessons and interactive presentations in classroom visitations as well as workshops for teachers who are looking for ways to introduce and teach the best of the Bard.
intros for teachers
These workshops and in-services can help any group of teachers gain confidence in the teaching of Shakespeare and bringing engagement with the Bard to the classroom (oh, and there's a just-for-fun presentation as well!)
No More Shakes-FEAR!
10-50 teachers -- 2 hours: $200
Provides teachers with tools for confidently introducing Shakespeare to students. The centerpiece is a scansion workshop and sample lesson on Shakespearean language and blank verse; special attention is paid to how character and action are revealed within the rhythm of the poetic line.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts, and a lesson plan.
Previously delivered to Ventura County Reading Association in an abbreviated form, under the title “What’s the Matter with Shakespeare: words, words, words.”
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
They’re Plays, NOT Works: Teaching Shakespeare
20-50 teachers -- 6 hours: $600
Provides teachers with tools for confidently introducing Shakespeare to students. The centerpieces of this presentation are:
The presentation uses the same framing device as “No More Shakes-FEAR.”
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts, and lesson plans.
Attendees should expect to get up, moving, and doing Shakespeare!
[note: requires space enough for participants to form a large circle and move throughout the space]
Chopping Down the Tree, One Cut at a Time
(or “Family Ties in Shakespeare’s History Tetralogies [abridged]”)
10-50 teachers -- 90 minutes: $150
Join Bill for an interactive discussion of the family relationships in Shakespeare’s English history tetralogies. Setting up the context for the beginning of the Bard’s cycle, Richard II, then moving through the “Henriad” (both Parts of Henry IV, and Henry V) and the depiction of both the close of the Hundred Years’ War and the War of the Roses (the three Parts of Henry VI), and culminating in the rise of the Tudor house in Richard III, this fun and fast-paced 90-minute look is based on attendee interaction.
Determined by participant selections, Bill will present not only the history in the plays, but Shakespeare’s contemporary events that shaped the plays’ composition.
[note: a small table, a few chairs, and a large whiteboard]
intros for students
These assemblies and in-class lessons can help engage with the Bard, while giving their teachers confidence in the teaching of Shakespeare (oh, and there's a just-for-fun presentation as well!)
Introduction to Blank Verse and the Sonnet
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Introduces students to the sonnet, with attention paid to iambic pentameter, structure, and rhyme scheme. Close reading Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 (“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun…”) follows and ties together the concepts presented.
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
Shakespeare in Practice: Scansion and Character (Parts One & Two)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60 (each part)
A perfect workshop for a drama class or one about to begin study of a Shakespeare play, this session uses close reading of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet (part one) and the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet to uncover both the emotion and physicality of the speaker (part two) to uncover both the emotion and physicality of the speaker. Focus is paid to scansion and figurative language.
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
Shakespeare in Practice [FOUR PARTS: Once More… in a Loop; Living Statues; That’s My Cue!; and Speak the Speech (two parts by itself)]
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60 (each part)
Perfect for a drama class, these sessions use:
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
[note: these workshops can be taken individually (save for the two parts of "Speak the Speech"); contact Bill to discuss scheduling and multi-part discounts]
Chopping Down the Tree, One Cut at a Time
(or “Family Ties in Shakespeare’s History Tetralogies [abridged]”)
10-50 teachers -- 90 minutes: $150
Join Bill for an interactive discussion of the family relationships in Shakespeare’s English history tetralogies. Setting up the context for the beginning of the Bard’s cycle, Richard II, then moving through the “Henriad” (both Parts of Henry IV, and Henry V) and the depiction of both the close of the Hundred Years’ War and the War of the Roses (the three Parts of Henry VI), and culminating in the rise of the Tudor house in Richard III, this fun and fast-paced 90-minute look is based on attendee interaction.
Determined by participant selections, Bill will present not only the history in the plays, but Shakespeare’s contemporary events that shaped the plays’ composition.
[note: a small table, a few chairs, and a large whiteboard]
play-specific sessions
Bill has created a number of presentations and teacher lessons for the plays most widely taught in high schools:
Romeo and Juliet
for teachers:
Romeo and Juliet:
Themes and Lessons
10-50 teachers -- 3.5 hours: $300
Provides teachers with extensive information about Romeo and Juliet, including general background, character breakdowns, the role of time in the play, how age is portrayed, and how the play is tied with its comic counterpart, the Pyramus and Thisbe play-within-a-play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Scansion workshop and scene breakdowns help bring the text alive. YouTube research assists in the creation of classroom playlists for comparison purposes. A multimedia “A-Z book” is presented as a possible student project.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts and three lesson plans (scansion for acting clues, math and geometry in Romeo and Juliet, and the use of the sonnet in the play).
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
for students:
Romeo and Juliet: Intro, Sources, and Themes
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Provides students with an extensive (and, thus, spoiler-filled) introduction to Romeo and Juliet, including discussions of sources, characters and themes.
A breakdown of the provided Character Map follows and ties together the concepts presented.
Romeo and Juliet: Scene Study (speech, scansion, and meaning)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
After a brief introduction to blank verse, students are guided through a close reading of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, with special attention paid to figurative language and how character and action are revealed within the poetic line.
[note: requires space for up to 5 participants to perform]
Romeo and Juliet: Math and Geometry
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Give your students a break from the typical read-through of the play with this presentation that takes a close look at the roles of time and symbolic symmetry in Romeo and Juliet.
A breakdown of the provided infographic handout follows and ties together the concepts presented. [note: this presentation is filled with spoilers!]
Romeo and Juliet: Review, Discussion and Q&A
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
A great way to end the unit of study on Romeo and Juliet, this review of the play includes Socratic discussions of the themes of family, time, and justice, with textual evidence cited for the concepts. The session ends with a Q&A and “stump Bill” segment.
Julius Caesar
for teachers:
Julius Caesar:
Themes and Lessons
10-50 teachers -- 3.5 hours: $300
Provides teachers with extensive information about Julius Caesar, including general background, historical context, character breakdowns, the concept of stoicism in the play, the role of women, and how closely the play hews to Shakespeare’s source material in Plutarch’s Lives. Scansion workshop and scene breakdowns help bring the text alive. YouTube research assists in the creation of classroom playlists for comparison purposes. A multimedia project focused on rhetoric is presented as a possible student activity.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts and three lesson plans (scansion for acting clues, rhetorical and convincing arguments, and Shakespeare’s flexible use of time in the play).
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
for students:
Julius Caesar: Intro, Sources, Themes, and Preview
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Provides students with an extensive (and, thus, spoiler-filled) introduction to Julius Caesar, including discussions of historical context and sources, characters and themes.
A breakdown of the provided Character Map follows and ties together the concepts presented.
Julius Caesar: Scene Study (speech, scansion, and meaning)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
After a brief introduction to blank verse, students are guided through a close reading of Antony’s funeral oration in Julius Caesar, with special attention paid to rhetorical devices and how character and action are revealed within the poetic line.
[note: requires space for up to 5 participants to perform]
Julius Caesar: Plutarch’s Lives and Shakespeare’s ‘history’ and fictions
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Give your students a break from the typical read-through of the play with this close look at the differences between the real history, what is found in Shakespeare’s source–Plutarch’s Lives–and the text from Julius Caesar.
A breakdown of the provided infographic handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
[note: this presentation is filled with spoilers!]
Julius Caesar: Review, Discussion and Q&A
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
A great way to end the unit of study on Julius Caesar, this review of the play includes Socratic discussions of the themes of marriage, civil rule, and the supernatural, with textual evidence cited for the concepts. The session ends with a Q&A and “stump Bill” segment.
Macbeth
for teachers:
Macbeth:
Themes and Lessons
10-50 teachers -- 3.5 hours: $300
Provides teachers with extensive information about Macbeth, including historical and theatrical context, character breakdowns, the concept of parallelism and opposition in the play, a look at the supernatural, and the use of gender roles in the play. Scansion workshop and scene breakdowns help bring the text alive. YouTube research assists in the creation of classroom playlists for comparison purposes. A multimedia project focused on supernatural elements is presented as a possible student activity.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts and three lesson plans (scansion for acting clues, parallelism and opposition, and Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in the play).
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
for students:
Macbeth: Intro, Sources, Themes, and Preview
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Provides students with an extensive (and, thus, spoiler-filled) introduction to Macbeth, including discussions of historical context and sources, characters and themes.
A breakdown of the provided Character Map handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
Macbeth: Scene Study (speech, scansion, and meaning)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
After a brief introduction to blank verse, students are guided through a close reading of the “Tomorrow and tomorrow…” speech in Macbeth, with special attention paid to scansion and vocabulary, as well as how character and action are revealed within the poetic line.
[note: requires space for up to 5 participants to perform]
Macbeth: Witches, Incantations & Ghosts
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Give your students a break from the typical read-through of the play with this presentation that takes a close look at the supernatural, and how these relate to the Elizabethan beliefs, in Macbeth.
A breakdown of the provided infographic handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
[note: this presentation is filled with spoilers!]
Macbeth: Review, Discussion and Q&A
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
A great way to end the unit of study on Macbeth, this review of the play includes Socratic discussions of the themes of revenge, madness, and self-doubt, with textual evidence cited for the concepts. The session ends with a Q&A and “stump Bill” segment.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
for teachers:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
Themes and Lessons
10-50 teachers -- 3.5 hours: $300
Provides teachers with extensive information about A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including historical and theatrical context, character breakdowns, the concept of theater in the play, a look at love, and the use of class and gender roles in the play. Scansion workshop and scene breakdowns help bring the text alive. YouTube research assists in the creation of classroom playlists for comparison purposes. A theater activity for “Pyramus and Thisbe” is presented as a possible student project.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts and three lesson plans (scansion for acting clues, class and gender roles, and Shakespeare’s subversion of the conventions of comedy in the play).
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
for students:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Intro, Sources, Themes, and Preview
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Provides students with an extensive (and, thus, spoiler-filled) introduction to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including discussions of historical context and sources, characters and themes.
A breakdown of the provided Character Map handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scene Study (speech, scansion, and meaning)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
After a brief introduction to blank verse, students are guided through a close reading of the “lovers’ fight” scene in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with special attention paid to scansion and rhyme, as well as how character and action are revealed within the poetic line.
[note: requires space for up to 5 participants to perform]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Men and Women
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Give your students a break from the typical read-through of the play with this presentation that takes a close look at the gender (and class) roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A breakdown of the provided infographic handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
[note: this presentation is filled with spoilers!]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Review, Discussion and Q&A
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
A great way to end the unit of study on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this review of the play includes Socratic discussions of the themes of revenge, madness, and self-doubt, with textual evidence cited for the concepts. The session ends with a Q&A and “stump Bill” segment.
Hamlet
for teachers:
Hamlet:
Themes and Lessons
10-50 teachers -- 3.5 hours: $300
Provides teachers with extensive information about Hamlet, including historical and theatrical context, character breakdowns, the concept of theater in the play, a look at royal succession, and the use of revenge and expectation in the play. Scansion workshop and scene breakdowns help bring the text alive. YouTube research assists in the creation of classroom playlists for comparison purposes. A multimedia activity regarding the events that transpire in Hamlet's absence is presented as a possible student project.
Attendees receive resources, reproducible handouts and three lesson plans (scansion for acting clues, class and gender roles, and Shakespeare’s subversion of the conventions of the revenge drama in the play).
[note: requires space enough for at least 10 attendees to be used as examples for the audience]
for students:
Hamlet: Intro, Sources, Themes, and Preview
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Provides students with an extensive (and, thus, spoiler-filled) introduction to Hamlet, including discussions of historical context and sources, characters and themes.
A breakdown of the provided Character Map handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
Hamlet: Scene Study (speech, scansion, and meaning)
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
After a brief introduction to blank verse, students are guided through a close reading of the “To be or not to be…” speech in Hamlet, with special attention paid to scansion and vocabulary, as well as how character and action are revealed within the poetic line.
[note: requires space for up to 5 participants to perform]
Hamlet: Revenge & Ghosts
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
Give your students a break from the typical read-through of the play with this presentation that takes a close look at the concepts of revenge and the supernatural, and how these relate to the Elizabethan beliefs, in Hamlet.
A breakdown of the provided infographic handout follows and ties together the concepts presented.
[note: this presentation is filled with spoilers!]
Hamlet: Review, Discussion and Q&A
10-40 students -- 45 min: $60
A great way to end the unit of study on Hamlet, this review of the play includes Socratic discussions of the themes of revenge, madness, and self-doubt, with textual evidence cited for the concepts. The session ends with a Q&A and “stump Bill” segment.
Romeo and Juliet
Julius Caesar
Macbeth
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Hamlet
custom sessions
There is always a way to make a workshop that meets your specific needs!
Teacher or Class Visitation
tbd -- tbd: $tbd
Don’t see a workshop that meets your needs? Contact Bill and we can build one specially suited to your audience!
Notes:
Audio-Visual Requirements:
Travel, Lodging, Per diem:
intros for teachers
intros for students
play-specific sessions
custom sessions
TeachersPayTeachers.com
RedBubble.com
R&J H/O FREE @ TeachersPayTeachers
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Check out the Bill / Shakespeare Project- and Bill Walthall-related products at both Teachers Pay Teachers and RedBubble!
Coming soon: Nearpod!
Teachers Pay Teachers
They’ve got infographics, printables and handouts galore!
Some are the support materials from our play-centric sessions, some are for other plays, some for Shakespeare in general. Some are free, some for purchase…all quality stuff!
RedBubble
Demand was so high for The Periodic Table of Shakespeare as a poster, they made that happen.
gallery / media
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
headshot 2018 (Robert Kazandjian)
as Shawn in Twigs -- dir. Elise Kessler; 2019
as Shawn (center) in Twigs -- dir. Elise Kessler; 2019
as Shawn in Twigs -- dir. Elise Kessler; 2019
as Shawn (right) in Twigs -- dir. Elise Kessler; 2019
as Officer Barnes in C'est Parfait -- dir. Muhasni J Kasomo; 2019
as Parris (center background) in The Crucible -- Camarillo Skyway Playhouse; 2019
as Parris (third from right) in The Crucible -- Camarillo Skyway Playhouse; 2019
as Virgil (right) in Bus Stop -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Virgil (left) in Bus Stop -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Daugherty in Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room (world premiere) -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Daugherty (left) in Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room (world premiere) -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Daugherty (right) in Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room (world premiere) -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Daugherty in Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room (world premiere) -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Daugherty (right) in Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room (world premiere) -- Elite Theatre Company; 2018
as Dowdy (center right) in Mister Roberts -- High Street Cultural Arts Center; 2018
as Brabantio in Othello -- California Shakespeare Company; 2018
as Brabantio in Othello -- California Shakespeare Company; 2018
as Antonio (right) in Much Ado About Nothing -- Camarillo Skyway Playhouse; 2017
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reviews
Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room
With all the political turmoil bubbling through the play, somehow it’s Jill Dolan as Harding’s wife who seems the most real of the characters on stage, followed appropriately by Walthall, the man pushing for Harding to get the nod. Dolan exudes the air of a matter-of-fact woman living her own life as best she can, albeit with a set of superstitions that probably buoy her more than her husband, who barely seems to notice her.
Walthall, with probably the most realistic role as the driven politico pulling for the man he thinks can keep the party in leadership, is understandably nervous and, beneath a sunny surface, ruthless.
-- Rita Moran, Ventura County Star (Sep 18, 2018)
Thanks to the shrewd machinations of Harding’s campaign manager, Harry M. Daugherty (played with a commanding presence by Bill Walthall). ... The scene between Daugherty and Mrs. Harding is especially hard-hitting.
-- Emily Dodi, Ventura County Reporter (Sep 12, 2018)
Bill Walthall is terrific as the slimy Daugherty, a backroom operator who would eventually achieve his ambition when Harding named him as his attorney general (Daugherty was later the target of several federal corruption charges and was forced to resign by Harding's successor, Calvin Coolidge.) With gleaming teeth and steely, beady eyes, Walthall resembles noted character actor Ned Beatty, also adept at playing corrupt politicians.
-- Cary Ginnel, Broadway World (Sep 11, 2018)
Bus Stop
Performances are strong throughout. ... There are some personal moments of beauty as well. Bill Walthall plays the guitar with quiet passion.
-- Shirley Lorraine, Ventura Breeze (Nov 7, 2018)
Bill Walthall is also excellent as Virgil, an older cowboy who has been a father figure and protector to Bo.
-- Cary Ginnel, Broadway World (Oct 30, 2018)
The Crucible
Samuel Parris, portrayed with religious fervor by Bill Walthall
-- Cary Ginell, Acorn (Apr 18, 2019)
résumé
Eyes:
Hair:
Height:
Weight:
Brown
Brown (some gray)
6’0”
225
THEATER (selected lead roles):
Fifteen Men in a Smoke-Filled Room
(World Premiere)
The Crucible
Mister Roberts
Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2
Bus Stop
Othello
FILM:
C’est Parfait
Playful Blades (post-production)
Perchance to Dream (post-production)
Twigs (post-production)
State Secrets (post-production)
PRESENTATIONS:
Shakespeare for Actors
Shakespeare Metareferences in Westworld
Military Homosociality in Much Ado and Othello
Time in Romeo and Juliet
TRAINING:
Bachelors of Arts, English
Master of Arts, English
Teaching Shakespeare
Acting/Directing
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Electric/Acoustic Guitar (intermediate)
Former High School Teacher and Coach
Bi-Racial (Japanese/Caucasian)
Daugherty
Parris
Dowdy
Blunt/Archbishop of York
Virgil
Brabantio
Supporting
Lead
Supporting
Supporting
Supporting
Class Instructor
Panelist
Panelist
Guest Speaker
UCLA
SNHU
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oxnard College
Drives Stick
Dramaturge
Prop-making
Stage Comat (swords)
Elite Theatre Company
Camarillo Skyway Playhouse
High Street Arts Center
Archway Theatre Company
Elite Theatre Company
California Shakespeare Company
dir. Muhasani J. Kasomo
dir. Adham Almallah
dir. Ben Erickson
dir. Elise Kessler
dir. Michael Pallas Paleas
Camarillo Skyway Playhouse
PCA National Conference -- Indianapolis, IN
Utah Shakespeare Festival -- Wooden O Symposium
Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival -- Thousand Oaks, CA
Joan Langley, instructor
Mary Ellen Kazmark, instructor
Bowling (175)
Experienced Theatre Director
Passport
gallery / media
reviews
résumé
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