Episode Synopsis "The Hunter Heartbeat Method – Kelly Hunter (actor, director and educator) "

Kelly gives an outline of some of her work using sensory drama games, using Shakespeare’s works, to interact and play with children with autism. She draws on Shakespeare’s frequent use of the words ‘eyes’, ‘mind’, ‘reason’ and ‘love’, and the connections he draws between the four – what she describes as a “poetry of the brain”. These ideas can then help people with autism who are experiencing a disassociation of mind and body. She also explores the notion of the heartbeat as a barometer for our feelings, comparing it with Shakespeare’s use of rhythm to help convey his character’s feelings. From this, Kelly has over the last 15 years developed a method to tap into this with autistic children, particularly to help them play with different expressions.

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More episodes of the podcast Shakespeare and the Brain

• Shakespeare, Mind and World – Dr Tom MacFaul (Lecturer in English, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford)
• Shakespeare as Observer and Psychologist – Professor Paul Matthews (Fellow by Special Election, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford; Edmond and Lily Safra Chair and Head of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London)
• Shakespeare’s Memory – Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (Director of the Centre for Systems Neuroscience, University of Leicester)
• The Hunter Heartbeat Method – Kelly Hunter (actor, director and educator)
• Extracts from Shakespeare, read by Roland Oliver (actor): Richard II Act V, Scene 5; Macbeth Act II, Scene 1; Henry IV Part 2, Act IV, Scene 3