For the third year running, we’re working with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (creators of the phenomenally successful Shakespeare Week) to design and deliver two series of workshops – one for pupils and the other for teachers.
The absolute highlight of this year’s partnership, so far, was the opportunity to work with 60 Year 6 pupils from Seaton Sluice and Whytrig Community Middle Schools to devise a 10-minute retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The performance of this piece took place at the Whitley Bay Playhouse, as part of an event hosted by Michael Rosen in January. With only one day to create and rehearse their presentation, it was a tall order but the children were incredible and rose to the challenge with great enthusiasm and to even better effect!
You can watch this in action during Shakespeare Week over on the Shakespeare Week website!
Meanwhile, closer to home, we have been working with the Birthplace Trust’s Merseyside Hub. A day and a half in each of 7 schools has seen us explore the potential for promoting oracy skills through Shakepeare’s plays, from pleading Sir Toby Belch’s case as the perfect hot-air balloon companion to persuading Prospero that he should choose the path of forgiveness. It was a real pleasure to get all the schools together for a twilight CPD event, hosted by Northway Primary, where more of our tried and tested approaches were shared and teachers had the opportunity to discuss the ways they could adapt these for their own classes.
Find out more about our Shakespeare workshops here
Visit the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust website here
Read more about our previous work with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust