HELEN MIRREN, IAN MCKELLEN & ADJOA ANDOH JOIN LEADING ACTORS TO BRING SHAKESPEARE TO A NEW GENERATION
shakespearecurriculum.com
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The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Foyle Foundation joined by leading actors, today launched the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, a revolutionary new way of studying Shakespeare using the latest learning technology and innovation.
The Shakespeare Curriculum is the most important development in the teaching of Shakespeare in a generation and will radically change how Shakespeare is studied and taught in secondary schools across the UK and around the world. It responds to ongoing concerns from teachers and young people about the way in which Shakespeare is experienced by many in school, with the aim for 80% of all UK secondary schools to use the Shakespeare Curriculum by the academic year 2029/30.
The first resource of its kind and free to use for all state and SEND secondary schools, it distils the RSC’s award-winning teaching approaches into a digital platform that has everything teachers and students need to teach and learn about Shakespeare, immersing them in the creative world of an RSC rehearsal room. Grounded in the techniques used by actors and directors, the Shakespeare Curriculum takes students beyond their desks, unlocking language, character and themes and fostering vital skills for school, life and work. The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum has been created with major investment from the Foyle Foundation as one of the key projects recently announced for the long-term legacy of the foundation.
David Hall, Chief Executive of the Foyle Foundation, said:
‘Our relationship with the RSC has extended over a period of more than twenty years, culminating in the development of the Shakespeare Curriculum. We are immensely proud that this will be a legacy for future generations of the work we have done together and honoured to be able to play a part in supporting the extraordinary achievements of the RSC.’
Ian McKellen, added:
‘Actors, better than other Shakespeare lovers, know how difficult it is to transform his words on the page into living, breathing characters on the stage where they belong.
To expect schoolchildren to grapple with such problems may well put them off Shakespeare for life. Ever since I was at school, reading a troublesome text around the classroom, I have wondered how professional theatre people might help English teachers who too often feel inadequate to the task. Now the Royal Shakespeare Company has come up with an answer, a practical way for teachers to lead students to an appreciation of the plays,not just as written texts but as a starting place to explore the excitement of live theatre.
‘A revolution is in the offing. “The play’s the thing…!” ’
Approximately 2 million young people in the UK study Shakespeare in any given year. From a 2012 study by the RSC and British Council, approximately 50% of school children in the world study Shakespeare and his plays each year. The Shakespeare Curriculum turns Shakespeare’s 10 most studied plays into a 24-part creative learning adventure, bringing the RSC’s unique blend of theatre practice, research and digital innovation into schools. Drawing on thousands of unique archive resources, and decades of world-renowned productions featuring leading actors in defining performances, it will put young people in control of their Shakespeare learning.
Launching the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, Jacqui O’Hanlon, RSC Director of Creative Learning, said:
‘The RSC has worked with thousands of teachers and young people over 20 years and we understand the challenges of teaching and learning about plays that were written over 400 years ago. The Shakespeare Curriculum responds to this challenge.
‘Research shows that the combination of Shakespeare’s language and RSC teaching approaches improve young people’s academic, social and emotional development. As well as improved language development, writing and oracy skills, this work improves communication, self-belief and well-being and develops creative problem-solving skills. Through the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, all state secondary and SEND schools will have free access to this transformational way of teaching and learning about Shakespeare’s plays’.
The platform uses the rehearsal process as the framework for teaching and learning and creates opportunities for young people to experience first-hand some of the creative decisions made by actors, directors and creative teams working in theatre. The Shakespeare Curriculum has been developed in collaboration with Charanga, a specialist provider of digital platforms and technology for music and arts education.
Helen Mirren, RSC Honorary Associate Artist, added:
‘Rehearsal rooms are places where we explore possibilities; where we look at a play written 400 years ago as if it was new, with the ink still wet on the page. In a rehearsal room we are questioning, experimenting and bringing our own experiences and interpretations to Shakespeare's stories.
‘That spirit of collaboration and creative enquiry sits at the very heart of the RSC's new Shakespeare Curriculum: bringing the energy of the rehearsal room into secondary schools across the country, turning classrooms into places where inquiry, co-operation and creativity flourish’.
Adjoa Andoh, RSC Associate Artist, commented:
‘If you have found Shakespeare boring or confusing or not relevant, if you have been made to feel like you're not smart enough, or you can't concentrate enough, or people don't think you're worth bothering with, that's other people's fault not yours – with the Shakespeare Curriculum all this is about to change. It is about giving you the chance to get up on your feet and deep dive into the crazy, heartbreaking hilarious, thrilling world of Shakespeare's stories - stories you will recognise as things you have experienced in your own lives, as things that are happening in the world around you today, and you'll feel it, you'll understand it and you'll get to live it out in rehearsals.
‘Shakespeare is relevant yesterday, today and tomorrow - and yours for the taking. Come join us, breathe out, dive in - Shakespeare can change your life - he did mine!’
Arts Minister, Ian Murray said: ‘All the world’s a stage, and all children can be players!
Learning with Shakespeare is a perfect way for young people to build confidence and language skills, and I’m thrilled to see the RSC supporting pupils across the country with this programme.
‘I want theatre and the arts to be accessible to every child, all across the UK, and this is a wonderful step towards that.’
The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum is now live at shakespearecurriculum.com
Press contacts:
For the RSC: kate.evans@rsc.org.uk (Head of Media Relations), or jo.hammond@rsc.org.uk
For The Foyle Foundation: Jane Quinn or Susie Gault, Bolton & Quinn, jq@boltonquinn.com or susie@boltonquinn.com, +44 (0)20 7221 5000
Notes to editors:
A number of artists have lent their support to the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum including:
Jade Anouka, Actor/Writer: ‘Shakespeare may have written these plays 400 years ago, but they can still speak to our lives now. If we give young people the tools to take ownership of Shakespeare’s work by interpreting them like actors and directors they get more engaged in their learning, but they also develop important skills for life. Shakespeare’s stories belong to everybody; they are waiting to be made and shaped by the next generation. I can’t wait to see what young people do with that invitation through the Shakespeare Curriculum.’
Matthew Baynton, Actor: ‘I’m passionate about arts in education. The arts expand our minds and broaden our horizons and should be seen as a vital part of everybody’s education, regardless of their parents’ income or background. State schools need all the help they can get, so for the RSC to create this platform that is free to them is a wonderful thing. I remember Shakespeare at school feeling impenetrable and academic; sat at a desk staring at words in some old language that meant nothing to me and my life. It wasn’t until I had the chance to play with it that I realised how incredible it was. Hopefully this platform will inspire students and teachers to engage with Shakespeare creatively, to lift those words off the page and drag them out of the past into the present.’
Alfred Enoch, Actor: ‘Every child in England has to study Shakespeare, yet too many find it off-putting. When we put on a Shakespeare play (or any play for that matter) one of the first questions we have to ask is why is this play relevant now? And in rehearsals we work together to figure out the language, why characters behave in certain ways and how we can present the story afresh in a way that resonates with audiences of all ages. When young people approach Shakespeare’s plays in the same way (as theatre instead of text) it quickly starts to make sense. Suddenly, the meaning falls into place and learners who felt shut out feel included. Not for nothing are they called plays - they’re meant to be fun! The Shakespeare Curriculum could revolutionise the way a whole generation is introduced to Shakespeare and the arts at school.’
Alex Hassell, actor: ‘For me getting up on my feet at school and playing scenes from ‘-Hamlet was not only hugely transformative in terms of feeling for the first time a deeper understanding of language, psychology, humanity, and art, but was also I would say the most educationally valuable experience of my school career. I found, and indeed still find that while sitting around a table and analysing a text brings out a lot theoretically, it is only when you get up into a space and channel your heart and spirit into it, get lost, and feel it running through your veins that you can really begin to understand what it is for. It’s power and humanity. It’s soul. Speaking out loud and attempting to grasp such complex ideas and images stretches one’s idea of life and our place in it. Attempting to empathise with your character’s point of view can only widen one’s field of empathy in general. I think the Shakespeare Curriculum and idea of using rehearsal techniques to teach young people is not only long overdue but essential at this moment. Using Shakespeare as a way for young people to connect with themselves, each other, their individuality, their commonness, their humanity, their creativity, can only lead to better and more rounded futures. To more open minds and hearts.’
Adrian Lester, actor: ‘I’ve seen first-hand how young people who don’t ordinarily engage, suddenly come to life when they're invited to experiment actively with drama and with Shakespeare. Rehearsal rooms are places of collaboration where every voice, every background and every perspective is valued. The Shakespeare Curriculum embraces that same principle: we work together as a team to bring the story, language, characters and meaning of the play to life for an audience. When actors enter the rehearsal room, they bring different levels of understanding, abilities and ways of seeing the world to the party - much like a classroom full of young people. Using this approach in a classroom is inspired. It doesn’t just teach the plays – although it does this extremely effectively – it's an invitation for teachers and students to learn side by side in an inclusive, engaging, fun and empowering way. To me that is what the future of education should look like.’
TIME TO ACT - a major research study exploring the difference that Shakespeare’s work and RSC teaching approaches make to the language development and social and emotional development of children and young people.
TIME TO LISTEN – a comprehensive research study examining the benefits of the arts in education on young people.
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum has been developed and generously supported through legacy funding from The Foyle Foundation, and a legacy gift from the late John Jennings. John was passionate about bringing Shakespeare to young people – a beloved loyal RSC patron and audience member for decades – and held many close friendships inside of the RSC’s community of supporters. Not only did John love Shakespeare, but he was particularly inspired by the work we do in connecting young people to his work.
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk. Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies responsible for administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, of which we delivered over £1 billion to the sector in grants and loans. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
About the RSC: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a leading global theatre company that sparks local, national and international conversations that build connections, create opportunities and bring joy. We passionately believe that great storytelling can change the world, and that theatre offers its own unique form of storytelling: it’s live and shared, and transforms a group of strangers into audiences who, together, experience a story come to life in front of their eyes.
We collaborate with the most exciting artists to tell the stories of our time, and through a range of programmes we nurture the talent of the future.
We perform on three stages in our home in Stratford-upon-Avon, in London and in communities and schools across the country and around the world.
Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people each year.
About the Foyle Foundation: The Foyle Foundation was established in 2000 to implement the will of the late Christina Foyle, who died in 1999 leaving most of her estate to charity. As an independent grant making trust the Foyle Foundation distributes grants to U.K. based charities (primarily arts and learning) and schools. The Foundation’s long planned spend down and closure takes place in December 2025 by when it will have distributed over £180 million in total, including a number of legacy projects with long-term benefit.
About Charanga (technology partner): Charanga is a trusted leader in technology-enabled music and arts education. Over 70,000 teachers in 64 countries use Charanga's customisable digital platforms to deliver learning experiences for students aged 4–18. Charanga also provides strategic input to national and state governments and leading cultural institutions, collaborating on large-scale digital education projects that extend their reach and develop educators’ professional skills. www.charanga.com
