Shakespeare shown from Shustoke to Shipston
Thousands of pupils across Warwickshire will be performing the works of Shakespeare this week as part of the biggest schools drama festival the county has ever seen.
The bard’s work will be on show from Bidford in the west to Boughton Leigh in the east as schools prepare for Shakespeare Day on 23 June.
The vast majority of schools in the county will be doing something in their school or in the community around this day celebrating his work.
From Shustoke in the north to Shipston in the south, Shakespeare’s words will be ringing out in halls and classrooms as part of the Mini Complete Works of Shakespeare Festival.
Organised by Warwickshire County Council’s Arts Zone, the festival is based in schools before the emphasis shifts to Stratford next week.
More than 70 schools will be complementing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s internationally acclaimed Complete Works festival. Between them, youngsters aged between five and 17 will be performing excerpts or interpretations from all of Shakespeare’s plays.
Parents, neighbours and fellow pupils are being invited into schools for a performance before the show heads to Stratford. And preparations have really fired the youngsters’ imaginations.
Year 1 pupils at Telford Infants School in Leamington have been preparing a performance based on Cymbeline – leading to a host of creative projects.
Teacher Sue Mitchell explained: “The Cymbeline project has been something that the whole of the infants school has embraced at the appropriate level.
“There will be creative work from the whole school displayed too. We have made a tapestry of the forest, created character portraits. The children crawled into large cardboard boxes to experience the dark before writing a poem in the role of Iachimo, pretending to be in the trunk in Imogen’s bedroom.
“The children have created their own magic potions, imagining what they might turn someone into. We are having a visiting artist working with Year 1 to create clay heads of the Cymbeline characters. The children have enjoyed a castle role play area.”
Arts Zone director Rex Pogson said: “There are dozens and dozens of examples of schools of all sizes, with children of all ages, embracing Shakespeare and using it as the basis for some fascinating creative work. Everyone is looking forward to the performances in Stratford and this week represents a chance for people in the rest of Warwickshire to enjoy the talents of our young actors.”