RSC’s New Conference Series Encourages Students to Tackle Key Issues
As America prepares to go to the polls and concern for the mental health of young women continues to rise, a new series of conferences from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) aims to tackle some of the most urgent issues facing young people today through the lens of Shakespeare’s plays.
Inspired by the RSC’s Rome Season, which includes Shakespeare’s great political thrillers - Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus and Coriolanus - For The Good of Rome is a series of online provocations and physical conferences in Stratford-upon-Avon aimed at 16-19 year olds and undergraduate students.
Confronting topics raised in the plays including identity, citizenship and political rhetoric, the series will also address the role and responsibility of women in power in the wake of worrying statistics* released last week that showed a deterioration of self-image and self-confidence amongst young women alongside a rise in mental health issues.
The programme begins with a series of online provocations in January 2017. Three day-long physical conferences will then follow at The Other Place (TOP) and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) in Stratford-upon-Avon in April and May 2017.
For the good of Rome: citizens and the state
The first conference takes place on 6 April 2017 in The Other Place, and will take an in-depth look at the life cycle of the Roman Empire to look at identity; what it means to belong and who represents us and our views. Young people will be invited to debate their responsibilities as members of a democracy and question what happens when ‘the many’ take control of decision making instead of ‘the few’?
For the good of Rome: rhetoric and the art of persuasion
Taking place on 2 May in the RST, this second session will focus on the role of public speaking in Julius Caesar and how it compares to the place of rhetoric in modern politics. The day explores whether politics is all about strategies of persuasion; questions whether political speaking is still relevant or holds any power; and examines how the media and social media are influencing and shaping the modern political landscape.
For the good of Rome: women and power
The final conference on 8 May in the RST will focus on the role of women as leaders and figureheads in society. Centring around a discussion of Cleopatra’s leadership, the day will examine whether Shakespeare was interested in the complexities of his female characters; what it meant then and means now to be a woman in a position of power; and whether or not we value and admire the same qualities in female leaders as we do in male leaders?
Jacqui O’Hanlon, RSC Director of Education, said:
“Shakespeare’s Rome plays are as relevant now as they have ever been, acting as a mirror to the world and reflecting many of issues that we see unfolding in the world around us. It is a particular responsibility of schools and other educators to ensure that young people are aware of and involved in these critical conversations – particularly around the erosion of self-confidence and self-image amongst young women and the emerging political landscape. Young people need to be engaged in and at the heart of evolving national conversations around those issues and this conference series provides a timely and thought-provoking way for them to begin to interrogate some of those big questions and difficult subjects in a secure and meaningful way.”
Booking details and further information about the For the good of Rome conference series can be found at www.rsc.org.uk/education
The RSC’s 'Rome' season includes four of Shakespeare’s most political and bloody thrillers as part of a programme inspired by ancient Rome. More information about these and other productions that form the RSC’s Summer 2017 Rome season can be found at www.rsc.org.uk/news/summer-2017-season
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For more information and images, contact Jo Hammond at jo.hammond@rsc.org.uk or on 07739 33294.
Notes to Editors:
*Released last week, The National Study of Health and Wellbeing reported that the gender gap in mental illness has become more pronounced in young people aged 16 – 24; 26% of women aged 16-24 reported symptoms of common mental disorders in one week, compared to 9% of men in the same age group.
About RSC Education
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. Everyone at the RSC - from actors to armourers, musicians to technicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage.
We encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre and through our Education work change the way that children and young people experience Shakespeare at school. Our approach is rooted in a 130 year history of making theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and sharing that wealth of skills and knowledge with teachers and students all over the world.
We build long term relationships with school, teachers and communities and particularly those who have the least access to Shakespeare, the RSC and cultural provision. Each year we reach over 530,000 young people in over 1,200 schools across the UK, inspiring children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities and ensuring that Shakespeare is for everyone.
Further information from: www.rsc.org.uk/education