Guildford Shakespeare Company
With the generous grants awarded to GSC, we have been able to develop and expand “The Play’s The Thing,” providing touring performances and workshops of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth to Year 10/11 pupils in 15 less advantaged schools in Surrey.
For more information about the educational and outreach work of the Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC), see: https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/outreachtours/
Bringing Shakespeare to disadvantaged Secondary Schools
In March 2018, the Geoff Herrington Foundation awarded an initial grant to Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC) to give a performance and participatory workshops to Year 10 (or 11) pupils in 10 disadvantaged secondary schools in Surrey. The programme, named “The Play’s The Thing” consisted of an 80 minute performance of the school’s chosen GCSE Shakespearean text: Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, followed by a Q&A session. In each school, follow-up workshops (of ~90 minutes) were held with groups of 30-35 students to engage in practical performance experience and scene interpretation led by facilitators/actors.
This first grant enabled over 1,500 young people (aged 14-16) from some of the most disadvantaged secondary schools in Surrey to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare/theatre and be involved in performance-related workshops. After the success of the initial GHF grant, the GHF have awarded grants annually to continue and extend the programme. In Autumn 2023, performances and workshops were given to Year 10/11 students in 16 less advantaged schools in Surrey, reaching over 3,000 young people who would not usually have the opportunity to watch live theatre, let alone live Shakespeare.
Levelling the playing field
Over the past six years, “The Play’s The Thing” has become an invaluable component of the participating schools’ curriculum. We have built enduring relationships with teachers and students who have greatly benefited from this program. Thanks to the support of the Geoff Herrington Foundation, we are excited to run the program for a seventh year, continuing to address educational disparities for GCSE students.
The ongoing conversation about levelling the playing field in education often feels distant amidst persistent cuts to local authority funding, which directly impacts on schools. To close the attainment gap, it is crucial that all students have access to engaging learning methods. Many students may never experience live theatre, and their only exposure to Shakespearean texts is through classroom reading – a far cry from how these works are meant to be experienced.
Experiencing Shakespeare’s plays as live performances allows students to see and hear the text in its true form, significantly enhancing their understanding for GCSE studies. The arts play a vital role in a comprehensive education, possessing the unique ability to engage and inspire students in ways traditional teaching methods often cannot. The GSC productions offer a dynamic and interactive opportunity for students to connect with literature, deepen their comprehension of themes and characters, and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.
Additionally, participating in our workshops fosters valuable life skills such as teamwork, communication, and creativity, which are essential for personal and professional growth.
“The performance was truly spectacular. The actors were incredibly talented in their performance and pitched it perfectly for Alderwood School. They worked incredibly hard not only through the performance, but in the workshops they delivered to our students afterwards with huge smiles, keen energy and attentiveness. We feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity with our year 11s. We were so very pleased with the team who came today; they were truly wonderful and spoke to the pupils like young adults, professional, and understanding their barriers with Shakespeare. I had to take a moment today in the workshop to just watch the splendid event taking place and smile at how brilliant it was for our students.”
– Chelsea, Alderwood School