Thanks to the generous private funding by the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, the RSC has been able to run an educational programme, in conjunction with the local Warwickshire Education Authority since 1998.
Working with the local education authority
The working partnership between the RSC and the local education authority has helped to develop a joined-up programme of arts education and activity with schools in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Ten schools from Coventry, Nuneaton and Rugby were given the opportunity to involve up to 35 Year 10 students, two teachers and three helpers per school.
Core project aims
The 2003 Playback project was designed for Year 10 students and their teachers, with four core aims:
- Using Shakespeare's plays to provide the opportunity for young people in the greater Coventry area to express their own creativity and to enhance their language and drama skills
- To offer a range of opportunities for local secondary teachers to expand their range of teaching approaches to movement, music and drama
- To provide networking opportunities for Coventry area schools arts organisations and advisors in the Local Education Authority
- To make an important contribution to community development through Shakespeare.
Three phase project
The project had three phases:
- A training day held for teachers to explore ways of starting their students off on the process of devising a piece of work. The day also established a timetable for the Playback project and the teachers attended a performance of As You Like It (during the project all the students also attended) in the evening
- Workshops were held throughout June to develop the work
- Performance Day - the final stage - took place in the Swan Theatre.
The groups had cue-to-cue technical rehearsals in the auditorium and warm-up sessions with members of the Company prior to the performance taking place in the afternoon.
