Education programme
A key part of our six-week residency in New York was an education programme.
It aimed to give children aged eight years and upwards their first taste of Shakespeare by showing them adapted versions of the plays in performance, and developing teachers' skills in getting children and young people exploring the plays actively.
The programme included:
- 800 young people aged 8-14 from underserved communities watching Young People's Shakespeare productions of Hamlet and The Comedy of Errors
- Educational workshops for children at Park Avenue Armory before and after the performances
- Three-day professional development workshops for teachers
- Stand Up for Shakespeare Symposium: teachers and artists sharing their experiences on how to engage children with Shakespeare in the classroom
- Shakespeare for Autistic Students: a series of workshops around The Tempest for autistic students
The program was inspired by our Stand up for Shakespeare manifesto and developed by the RSC and Park Avenue Armory in consultation with The Ohio State University, the New York City Department of Education and Lincoln Center Festival.
Photo: Dharmesh Patel as the title character in YPS Hamlet.