Using methodologies from the Folger Shakespeare Library's Education Department, students in Mr. Mavor's English I Honors (8th grade) class concluded their reading and study of Romeo and Juliet by paraphrasing, analyzing, and performing a scene from the play. After investigating their characters' motivations, considering the purpose of the scene itself, and examining the language, students designed a stage set, chose minimal costumes and props, and created a "prompt book" from which to perform their scene. This interactive approach sets Shakespeare "free" from the reading-only/text-only instructional approach and allows students to see the various emotional, rhetorical, and performance aspects of this famous stage play.