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RSC launches new manifesto for Shakespeare in schools

03 March 2008

The Royal Shakespeare Company today (3 March 2008) launches Stand up for Shakespeare - a manifesto to bring Shakespeare alive in the classroom which calls for children, young people and teachers to:

• Do it on your feet – explore plays actively and practically in the classroom, as actors do
• See it live – see live performances
• Start it earlier – introduce Shakespeare as early as possible

The RSC wants people to show their support to the campaign by signing up at www.rsc.org.uk/standupforshakespeare where the full manifesto can be downloaded. Over 200 messages of support have already been posted on the site from actors, directors, teachers, students and politicians as well as one from the RSC’s President, HRH The Prince of Wales.

RSC Artistic Director, Michael Boyd said: "Shakespeare wrote plays, and young children are geniuses at playing. Ask them to comment on a great work of literature and they will shrink away. Give a child the part of Bottom, Tybalt, Lady Macbeth or Viola, and watch them unlock their imagination, self-esteem, and a treasure trove of insight into what it’s like to be alive that will feed them for a lifetime. Shakespeare remains the world’s favourite artist because his living dilemmas of love, mortality, power and citizenship remain unresolved, vivid and urgent today."

RSC’s Acting Director of Education, Jacqui O’Hanlon said: "Over the past fourteen months, we have consulted widely and the manifesto is based on what we have learned from the 252 schools in our Learning and Performance Network and the many inspirational teachers introducing Shakespeare to young people.

"We’re already putting the recommendations into practice in our own education programme and more and more young people are enjoying Shakespeare live. In the last year alone, over 32,000 children have benefited from our £10 school ticket offer and over 6,000 young people have taken up our £5 ticket scheme for 16-25 year olds."

Tamsin Greig, who won an Olivier Award for her performance as Beatrice in the RSC’s production of Much Ado About Nothing last year is just one of the actors who have given their support for the manifesto:

"The word ‘Shakespeare’ is a bell that summons adults, sometimes to heaven, but more likely to hell. Childhood experiences of studying Shakespeare so often leave adults with a stomach-deep aversion to the boredom and incomprehension they associate with the ‘S’ word. But Shakespeare was not a writer, he was a playwright. Give children the chance to play with words and ideas and stories, and boredom has no place. I wholeheartedly support the RSC’s manifesto to bring Shakespeare’s words and ideas and stories to younger and younger children, in the hope of breaking the stranglehold of word-based study and sharing with them the freedom of 3-D play."

Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners added: "Shakespeare’s works are fantastically varied and versatile – and schools which teach Shakespeare well use a wide range of teaching approaches. I welcome the RSC’s invitation to all schools to continue to explore how they can teach Shakespeare in engaging and exciting ways, and I hope it will lead to even more children having a great understanding and enjoyment of his plays."

The RSC is keen for anyone who supports the manifesto to log onto www.rsc.org.uk/standupforshakespeare and pledge their support.

 

Further information

For more information or interviews please contact Nada Zakula, RSC Press Office on 01789 412622 or 07831 766086 or Dean Asker on 01789 412660 or 0778 9937759.

 

Notes to editors:

Appendix 1: Statements of support from actors, theatre artists and children (more available on the website)

Appendix 2: Background on what the RSC is doing to support the recommendations in Stand up for Shakespeare’s recommendations and what resources the RSC offers to schools and young people.

 

Appendix 1

Further statements of support for Stand up for Shakespeare:

Ian McKellen (actor)
"A seven year old told me, having seen the RSC’s latest Lear, it was ‘the best play he had ever seen’ in his entire life. I’m glad the RSC is encouraging other youngsters to share his enthusiasm."

Judi Dench (actor)
"I saw a production of Macbeth when I was a very small girl. It completely hooked me on Shakespeare. That was 63 years ago."

Janet Suzman (actor)
"Bravo Michael! I have been saying ‘Stand up’ in talks, books and lectures and classes for 40 years. There’s no other way to understand Shakespeare and learn not to be bored by or scared of him. It’s a turn-on."

Michael Attenborough (director)
"To witness young people relishing the imaginative scale and richness of Shakespeare, either as participants or audiences, is a thrilling experience. The key lies in the precise way they find access to his genius, such that they feel an instinctive ownership of his drama and his language. This is achieved through experiencing him, not just intellectually but, crucially, emotionally, as they discover on an individual basis the connection between a character and his or her personal need for those specific, extraordinary words. Such ownership can only really be found by actually doing it, playing an integral part in the act of theatre itself."

Philip Voss (actor)
"Start young. Don't analyse the works from behind a desk. Perform them in front of the class. Shakespeare comes alive when he is acted. He is wise, he is sad, and the jokes are good too."

Timothy West (actor)
"I owe my love of Shakespeare to my English teacher at Secondary school. "You're never going to understand any of this," he said to his class, "until you feel what it is like to say those words, and have those words said to you. Clear all the desks to the edge of the room, we're going to get up and do the play." For half an hour or so, we sulked in embarrassment, but after that we were hooked: most of us, I believe, for life."

Harriet Walter (actor)
"Shakespeare is not inherently elitist. He wrote his plays for everyone. If you get up and DO Shakespeare rather than just studying him at a school desk, you get a direct experience of what makes him special. It doesn't need to be explained. You still have to work at him (what's wrong with that?) but you have a personal handle on him and want to know more. The earlier this happens in a person's life the less time prejudice and intimidation have to take hold. When schools and companies like the RSC work together they help unlock the talent and enthusiasm that could provide a broader social base for performers and audiences of the future. Everyone benefits."

13 year old student, participating in RSC schools project
"One week we knew nothing and the next we’d learned all this difficult language and could say it."

Chris Pope (co-director of the Prince’s Teaching Institute)
"The Prince’s Teaching Institute believes that all children, irrespective of background or academic ability, should be introduced to the masterpieces of the past and present. We are therefore delighted to support Stand up for Shakespeare and to be working with the RSC to ensure that teachers in classrooms across the country bring Shakespeare to life."

Ben, aged 8, Stokeinteignhead Primary School, Devon after doing a unit of work with his teacher on Hamlet:
"My dad said Shakespeare was boring, but he’s got in wrong! I’m gonna tell him about Hamlet. It’s got murders and ghosts and castles and stuff and that’s not boring. What are we doing next?"

Andrea Ellis (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust)
"The Stand up For Shakespeare manifesto places Shakespeare where he belongs – at the very heart of our education system. It makes explicit the connection between an enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare and the development of our students as successful learners and global citizens. It ‘stands up’ for an equality of access for all students to the world’s greatest commentator on the human condition."

Paul Kelly (Headteacher, Birkdale Primary School, Southport, Merseyside)
"Two recent Ofsted reports, one for school and the other, a national report on creativity commented, "The school provides an outstanding curriculum that is rich, stimulating and innovative."…"The Shakespeare project included a stimulus workshop with the RSC" and commented that the subsequent work in school was an example "of outstanding teaching being converted into excellent teaching". Over 50 teachers in the authority have now worked with the RSC. It became apparent to those involved that the skills learned "were not just relevant to Shakespeare or writing skills, but could also be used as a methodology across the curriculum". Above all, it was great fun!"

Ray Fearon (actor)
"When I was at school the name Shakespeare frightened me. So I avoided it at every possible cost. I thought it was for very middle-class people who spoke posh and went to Cambridge/Oxford. Reading it made no sense to me. Years later, when I was auditioning for drama school, I had to do it, otherwise I wouldn't get in. To my surprise it was in the doing of it that it came alive for me. I've done workshops in many schools for the RSC. Talking about Shakespeare bores them to tears, but when you ask them to learn a piece of text, get on their feet like actors do, it becomes alive for them. Thesis the only way I know how to teach kids Shakespeare, and that's from an actors approach to it. I support Stand up for Shakespeare wholeheartedly."

Sue Horner (the Head of Curriculum for the QCA)
"It makes a real difference to help young people to see the excitement of Shakespeare's plays and to explore what they mean. A love of literature and drama is something to be treasured for the whole of life, offering a world of pleasure and knowledge. Learning to express yourself creatively and imaginatively is vital for all young people's education. The approaches to Shakespeare in the manifesto will make a great contribution to this."

 

Appendix 2

What will the RSC be doing to support the manifesto's recommendations?

We pledge that as a commitment to our Stand up for Shakespeare manifesto we will take the following action:

 

Do it on your feet

We will continue to develop our existing programme of education work for school groups and students, encouraging young people to participate actively in our work through onstage events, practical workshops and performance projects. These include:

Midweek workshops
These practical workshops for school children on a range of Shakespeare plays are available at our bases in Stratford, London and Newcastle.

Teachers Courses for Primary and Secondary Teachers
These courses use active theatre-based methods to explore Shakespeare within the classroom and are available nationally. We can also tailor courses to meet your specific requirements.

Training for Initial Teacher Educators (ITE)
In 2007 we began a pilot initiative with a group of 90 ITE students from a range of Universities. We are supporting these students in developing their teaching of Shakespeare through a two year programme of work with us, from their initial training year, through their year as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) and into their second year of teaching. Through this pilot we aim to improve teacher confidence levels for working practically with Shakespeare in the classroom.

Post Graduate Awards for Actors
We want to ensure best practice in the leading of all practical Shakespeare workshops in schools. These training programmes enable RSC actors to develop their education skills with their knowledge of active theatre approaches from rehearsal rooms to become Shakespeare practitioners in the classroom. We are extending this project and wish to develop further opportunities for actors to work within schools to support the teaching of Shakespeare.

 

See it live

The RSC will work towards providing more opportunities for young people to attend performances of our work:

Romeo and Juliet

In Autumn 2008, a new production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Neil Bartlett will tour nationally supported by a full programme of education work. We hope that this boldly theatrical new staging of Shakespeare's story of two teenagers torn apart by their families' vendetta will attract more young audiences to Shakespeare.

Twelfth Night
Also in autumn 2008, Filter Theatre, in association with the RSC, will tour schools in Birmingham, Warwickshire and London with their experimental version of Twelfth Night, directed by Sean Holmes. The production will provide an exciting first introduction to Shakespeare for 11-13 year olds and will be accompanied by a programme of education workshops and teacher INSET.

Exploring Shakespeare
As a way of ensuring that more young people have access to opportunities to see Shakespeare's plays in performance, our website Exploring Shakespeare uses video extracts to examine the interpretative choices made during the rehearsal process, exploring the journey made by actors and directors in the staging of a Shakespeare play.

 

Start it earlier

We will develop our programme of Teachers' Courses to support the Primary curriculum; helping teachers to develop the active theatre based skills that can encourage children to learn through the stories, characters and language of Shakespeare's plays, whilst experiencing an exciting introduction to his work. The RSC is also committed to supporting the three key manifesto recommendations through a programme of sustained partnerships with schools around the country:

The Learning and Performance Network
Established in 2006, any state school in the UK can apply to enter into a three-year partnership with us. The opportunities available through our Learning and Performance Network include accredited courses for teachers, offered in conjunction with the University of Warwick, as well as performance projects and festivals for students.

Through involvement in the network, teachers and young people explore Shakespeare practically in their classrooms, see Shakespeare's plays performed live by their peers as well as by professional theatre companies and start to experience Shakespeare's work earlier. The youngest of our network students are 8 years old.

We are currently working with:

• 153 primary schools
• 87 secondary schools
• 6 special schools
• 1 pupil reintegration unit

These schools are spread across 17 different regions of the country.