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At THPS we ensure that our pupils have a positive encounter with Shakespeare from a very early age – three to be precise! We enjoy and appreciate Shakespeare annually through a ‘Shakespeare Day’ in April that we hold in honour of the Bard’s birthday. A brilliant local actor (aka Shakespeare) wakes up in our School hall after some kind of ‘time travel’ experience and he calls on the children to ‘help’ him write a new play. Children from 3-11 then participate in a hugely entertaining dramatisation of one of Shakespeare’s plays. Every single child is caught up in a marvellous Shakespeare experience that is followed up with workshops that enhance the appreciation of the genius of Shakespeare.
In addition, our eleven-year-old, Year 6 pupils have a whole term of studying Shakespeare and aspects of his work, which is concluded with a three-day residential visit to Stratford where they encounter much more in terms of an appreciation of Shakespeare and his work, including a visit to one of the RSC productions.
Our aim is to introduce our children to Shakespeare from a young age – we firmly believe that they have the ability to appreciate and enjoy his genius – and they do at our School, through age appropriate activities. As recommended by the Shakespeare manifesto, they certainly:
• Do it on their feet - exploring plays as performers do; working in rehearsal-like environments, adapting the methods theatre companies use to understand Shakespeare’s plays; creating and performing plays for themselves.
• See it live - participating as members of a live audience.
• Start it earlier - have access to Shakespeare from a younger age.
Click here to visit the Stand Up For Shakespeare website
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