Introducing BetterPears Greenhouse Fellowships

George, we are told, means farmer, but a more literal translation is “earth worker” which follows as a farmer’s labor is mainly the disposition of matter such as rich soil for nutrients. He also provides for the plant’s air, water, and warmth, but it is God who opens every seed. An educator, like a farmer, leads out others but does not force them to gain wisdom. These beneficiaries, the learners, along with their educator or guide form a community in common pursuit. Through such communities and their gatherings what is natural in us is able to participate in what is supernatural and everlasting.

Over the last year, BetterPears has offered a podcast on a wide range of topics as an aperitive for an audience in search of more, not just mere life but the good life. Aristotle in outlining the good life in his Nicomachean Ethics devotes two books to friendship. The possession of true friends is a necessity of good living—our nature desires connection, the fundamental conclusion of actual naval gazing. Such friends, beyond their utility and the pleasure their company offers, must mutually pursue what is true, good, and beautiful.

While a podcast might have been the beginning, something greater is now needed. BetterPears was established to present the wisdom of our betters in their own words. In keeping with this principle of original sources but mindful of how ancient languages can be a barrier for many interested in seeking real human connection, BetterPears is excited to announce BetterPears Greenhouse Fellowships. Like a horticultural greenhouse which shelters plants from harsh winds and the bitter cold, these fellowships will be participatory dramatic readings of William Shakespeare’s greatest plays in their original English.

Each dramatic reading fellowship will experience together one of these timeless plays over two 2-hour sessions scheduled a week apart in a hosted home setting with an experienced guide and delicious hospitality all for a fixed price. Register online today at BetterPears.com/Greenhouse and start your free BetterPears account so you will never miss out on BetterPears offerings. During registration you can opt to bring your own text of the play or arrange for one to be provided for you. Your fellowship guide will start promptly and assign participant fellows to certain roles for the session based on your registration order. In the following week, new roles will be cast for the conclusion of the play, so that the main roles are more equally shared. Once roles are assigned, the drama begins. There are no costumes or staging, but fellows are invited to perform their lines to the best of their ability without preparing ahead of time.

It is in this shared reading and listening without gradebooks, inflated egos, or liquid crystal displays that the plays come alive. What is foreign in Shakespeare’s syntax and diction gradually becomes habitual, part of how we think and talk. What is more, you enter into Shakespeare’s world with fellow travelers, who discuss the dramatic themes, plot, and pitfalls as each session concludes and the real fellowship continues.

These BetterPears Greenhouse Fellowships are starting up in the Oklahoma City metro-area, please visit BetterPears.com/Greenhouse to register today.