Sound and Fury
In November and December 2010, we delivered an eight week project with contemporary spoken-word and hip-hop artists, working with 120 students at Claremont High School in Brent.
Devised by Jamie Luck, RSC Education Creative Associate, and Cicely Berry, RSC Director of Voice, the project engaged young people in Shakespeare by exploring the links between modern lyricists and Shakespeare's verse to help them make connections with the playwright.
Groups of students from Claremont travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon to see the spoken-word artists perform their response to Shakespeare's work at Sound and Fury on 8 December 2010 at the Swan Theatre as part of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre reopening programme.
Polarbear, acclaimed spoken-word artist and word-smith, is lead artist on the project and directed five artists new to the RSC in the performance at the Swan Theatre.
Using these performances as inspiration, students then worked with the Sound and Fury artists to create their own responses to Shakespeare, which they performed in the foyer of the Roundhouse in London before the matinee performance of YPS Hamlet on Wednesday 26 January 2011.
Taking part were Kate Tempest, after her performances at Glastonbury and Latitude Festivals in 2010.
Watch video of Kate Tempest performing »
Jamie Luck said:
'In essence, Sound and Fury is about the RSC collaborating with a diverse group of leading UK lyricists on a shared mission to empower a love of words in students. Our tools for doing this are the words of Shakespeare, and the thoughts and talents of acclaimed contemporary spoken-word artists; and what's exciting for Cicely and I is how we use these tools to foster a love of language that enables young people to be as confident with Shakespeare as they may be with more contemporary forms.'
View Cicely Berry and Jamie Luck discussing Sound and Fury during Young People's Shakespeare Week here »