The Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) is heading to Telford and Wrekin in October and many young people in the borough will get the chance to watch or take part in Shakespeare performances. The Festival is the UK’s largest youth drama festival where each Autumn four schools per night perform four different half hour Shakespeare plays in their local professional theatre. The SSF provides an open-access approach to Shakespeare that can unlock imagination and importantly give children the language to articulate complex thoughts and feelings.
Seven schools in the borough are being given the opportunity to perform a Shakespeare play during the festival. The idea is to challenge the preconception that studying Shakespeare is difficult or dull through a combination of teacher training, workshops and student performance in a professional theatre. Each school can choose from 21 specially abridged versions of plays. The schools are then provided with the scripts, resources and training to direct Shakespeare in a theatre.
The schools will perform their play at one of two evenings. Newport Girls’ High, Crudgington Primary, Southall School and Muxton Primary will perform at Oakengates Theatre @ The Place on Monday 14 October.
Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “Shakespeare can be a daunting subject to learn but getting out of the usual classroom environment can really help to aid understanding and make learning fun. “I’m sure everyone involved throughout the Shakespeare Schools Festival will not only learn a lot but have a great deal of fun during the process.”
For more information about tickets to the plays being performed by the local schools visit either www.oakengates.ws or www.theatresevern.co.uk or call 01952 382382 or 01743 281281.