2nd Edition

Shakespeare's Heartbeat Drama Games for Autistic People

By Kelly Hunter Copyright 2026
332 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

332 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

332 Pages 22 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This updated and revised edition of Shakespeare’s Heartbeat offers a step-by-step guide detailing how to demonstrate, play and perform sensory games based on two of Shakespeare’s most popular plays designed for autistic people of all ages. The original games of heartbeats, eye contact and spatial awareness were created at the Glebe School, Beckenham, with a group of twelve autistic teenagers... Read more

Part 1. A Midsummer Night’s Dream  1. Playing the games/using the book  2. Games to begin  3. Fairyland  4. Dreams  5. The mechanicals  6. The lovers  7. Darkness of night  Part 2: The Tempest  8. Caliban  9. Ariel  10. Miranda and Ferdinand  11. The clowns  12. Magic  13. Performance  14. A resource for playing

Biography

Kelly Hunter is an award-winning actor, director, and educator. She is the creator of the Hunter Heartbeat Method. Kelly has worked in the theatre for over forty years, acting notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the highly acclaimed Vesturport. She founded Flute Theatre in 2014 in order to create original and unique productions of Shakespeare. She has adapted and directed ten productions of Shakespeare for the company, including four unique shows for autistic audiences. In 2019 she was awarded an MBE for her services to theatre and in 2024 she received an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham, UK.

“There is no more effective way to teach social skills, promote inclusion, and awaken the soul than the Hunter Heartbeat method. The program changed my life, and ever since I started teaching it, it has changed the lives of the hundreds of individuals who have experienced the awakening it provides.”

Ben Raanan, Artistic Director, Phamaly Theatre Company, Denver Colorado