Radio Shakespeare

In collaboration with Roundhouse Radio, we have worked with Year 5 students from Riverley Primary School in Waltham Forest to explore the process of writing a play for radio. The students have created five radio plays inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, which have then been performed by Year 12 students from Camden School for Girls.

The young writers worked in collaboration with the secondary school actors to workshop their ideas which then helped the students to form their final scripts, following the process of professional playwrights who work with the RSC. The plays, each five minutes long, were called The Secret Message, The Sad Vengeance, Smith the Ghost, Dead and Lord Henry Returns.

The plays were broadcast on Roundhouse Radio, the Roundhouse's youth-led radio station on Sunday 7 November at 12pm, listen to the radio plays here.

Bea Hankey, Roundhouse Broadcast & New Media Programme Co-ordinator said, 'We're really excited to be working with the RSC on Radio Shakespeare. Young people are at the heart of everything we do at the Roundhouse, and this project demonstrates the potential for using innovative new media to engage young people in radio and drama.'

We have created an education pack which accompanies this project which contains practical ideas to help inspire your students to create their own radio plays.