for KS3 and KS4 – performed in your school
* NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR SPRING and SUMMER TERM 2022 *
“Amazing! The best educational tool I have ever seen. Full of relevant educational elements and full of fun, humour and engagement. You have made our job of teaching the text so much easier.”
Maiden Erlegh School, Wokingham
Four Young Shakespeare Company actors visit your school with a thought- provoking, entertaining and insightful exploration of Shakespeare in performance. We combine clear, accessible and well-paced acting with challenging yet inclusive workshop activities. The emphasis throughout is on the importance of choice and interpretation in the process of putting on a play. Taking suggestions from the students, our skilled actors explore the choices of the rehearsal process and allow the students to see their ideas put into practice, offering new insights into the text in performance.
To ensure that our presentation is pitched as accurately as possible to the needs of your students we offer a choice of two different formats.
Option A – Workshop and Performance
An informative and thought-provoking interactive workshop followed by a fully-staged hour long adaptation of the play including all the main characters and scenes. The Young Shakespeare Company has an outstanding reputation for clear and accessible interpretations of Shakespeare in which the vitality of Shakespeare’s words is complemented by bold staging and strong characterisation to bring the play alive for a new generation of theatre-goers.
Option B – Interactive Workshop Presentation
This 90 minute interactive presentation is a fast- moving session packed with activities and is an ideal introduction to Shakespeare in performance. With plenty of humour and audience participation, the actors explore issues of staging, characterisation and motivation, trying out suggestions from the students and building towards performance level presentations of Act One Scene Five – the party scene – and Act Three Scene One – the fight scene. Students are encouraged to assume the roles of director, designer and actor in the decision-making process and to see their ideas put into practice. The rehearsal of the second scene includes a very popular demonstration of the techniques of stage fighting. The pace and the variety of content makes this presentation a particularly accessible learning experience for mixed ability groups and can be pitched to suit the knowledge your students have of the play at the time of our visit.
How much does it cost?
The cost for one performance is £750 + VAT. The cost for two performances on the same day is £1250 + VAT.
When is the production next available?
“Romeo and Juliet” tours into secondary schools between January and May every year.
Which age group is this devised for?
Our actors can pitch the performance to suit students from Year Seven to Year Eleven.
Do the students need to have already studied the play?
Our actors can adjust the educational content to suit the students’ current working knowledge of the play.
How many students can take part?
Up to a maximum of 180. Many schools prefer to book two performances on the same day so that we can work with smaller groups.
Where does the performance take place?
We prefer to perform on the floor of your school hall with the audience seated on four sides. If you have fixed raked seating we are also able to perform end on
Are your actors all DBS checked?
Yes.
“Thank you so much for the performance of Romeo and Juliet which, as always, was outstanding and incredibly valuable for our Year 10 students. The great strength of your visits is that you make Shakespeare accessible, relevant and totally engaging for the students. You take the students along with you, giving them deep insights into the world of drama and the world of Shakespeare. It is such a pleasure to see all the students enraptured by the story and by the performance. It is incredibly useful that you show some of the mechanics behind the performance and that you involve the students in developing different interpretations. In short you bring life, youth and enthusiasm into the play; difficult to replicate in a classroom preparing for exams! The students came out of the theatre yesterday buzzing. In lessons today they had a rejuvenated enthusiasm for reading the play and we had many in-depth discussions about character motivation and development. The students’ comments about ‘Young Shakespeare Company’ were, without exception, positively glowing.” – Nova Hreod Academy, Swindon
“Thank you for a phenomenal, inspirational and accessible rendition of “Romeo and Juliet”. You have fired the imaginations of even the most stolid of students. The Young Shakespeare Company is a shining beacon of theatre-in-education!” – Sidcot School, Somerset
“Your Interactive Workshop Presentation has given our Year 7 the best possible introduction to Shakespeare. We have had such positive feedback from the students. I watched it four times and enjoyed it every time. Outstanding!” – Derby Moor Academy, Derby
“Thank you for re-invigorating a love of Shakespeare in our young people. Your fantastic production was absolutely enthralling and every single student was engaged. One student said the complicated language had always put him off but the performance you delivered helped him understand it for the first time. Wonderful!” – Outwood Academy, Easingwold, West Yorkshire
“Yet again the Young Shakespeare Company entertained, educated and excited our Year 9 students. The students were laughing along in unison and watching in awe. The students’ participation was fantastic and it was lovely to see usually disengaged students utterly engrossed. It is always one of the most enjoyable, rewarding, exciting and fun afternoons of the school year!” – University Academy School Holbeach
“We absolutely love having the Young Shakespeare Company in! The session on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is fantastic and engages the whole year group, bringing the play to life and making the themes and characters relevant to our Year Nine audience.” – The Totteridge Academy, Barnet
“What an inspirational group of actors. They were wonderful in every way – fantastic with the students, inspiring about Shakespearean texts and generous with their time and energy. This is an experience the students will always remember. ” – The Caste School, Taunton
“A fantastic adaptation that really allowed all students to gain a deeper understanding of the play. Pitched perfectly and inclusive of all learners.”
New College, Leicester
“The performance was stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining – and supported the year group’s GCSE coursework.” – Belvoir High School, Nottinghamshire
“Another brilliant success. It is a privilege to have access to the fantastically enjoyable and educational experience that the Young Shakespeare Company provide for us! We look forward to your return next year.” – Highdown School, Reading
“Fabulous. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The workshop helped me really get inside the minds of the characters, plus actually seeing it performed really put my head straight. I really enjoyed learning in a different way. I loved it and never wanted it to end.” – Pupil feedback from Fernwood School, Nottingham
“Another fantastic session – with perfect pitch and pace – that both challenged and entertained. As far as I’m concerned, I think it’s one of the most loved and most successful events we offer our students at KS4.”
Miltoncross School, Portsmouth
“Both staff and students had a fantastic time – entertaining, educational and inspirational.” – Chace Community School, Enfield
“I liked the workshop at the start, especially the stage compost. I liked how it was set out in a square and we were in the middle of the action. I liked how they used modern day music as it really helped us to understand their emotions.” – Pupil feedback Meadowhead School, Sheffield
“Wow! Truly amazing. Our students were captivated from start to finish.”
Fairfield School, Hereford
“A fantastic visit. The training and quality of the acting surpasses all other companies we have used. Pupils love being given the power to influence and be involved in the action.” – Marling School, Gloucestershire