'Theatrelink provides a wonderful opportunity for children and their teachers to engage imaginatively with a text. The children have written their own scenes for the film, created diary entries, written songs and produced a huge amount of creative material. It's been fantastic.'
Jacqui O'Hanlon, RSC Learning
Theatrelink with Stratford Town Trust
Over the last three years, Stratford Town Trust have generously funded the RSC in a project enabling Stratford schools to benefit from work specifically designed to improve drama and literacy skills. The scheme has been a huge success with very encouraging feedback.
The 2003 project, launched in October, was built around the RSC Summer Festival production of As You Like It. Students (aged between 9-11) from seven primary schools in Stratford-upon-Avon were asked to create short three minute films inspired by the play.
To help with ideas for their 'shorts', pupils received free tickets to see the RSC's production directed by Gregory Thompson at the Swan Theatre.
Teachers joined a member of the RSC Learning Department to work on ideas and techniques to use in the classroom to devise the film piece with the children and RSC film experts where also on hand to offer advise.
The RSC paid weekly visits to each school to provide guidance and inspiration as the children and teachers worked together to devise, script, rehearse and storyboard their film. Each piece included an original musical score and artwork for special effects, which was digitally edited in the film.
The pieces where filmed in November, over three hourly sections, at Mary Arden's House. Professional directors and editors worked with the children and the films premiered at the local cinema, the Stratford Picture House.
