Shakespeare Education Revamped: RSC launches Initiative to Engage Students Through Performance
London – A new national curriculum spearheaded by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is bringing William Shakespeare’s works to life in UK classrooms, shifting the focus from traditional textual analysis to active performance and collaborative exploration. The initiative aims to address a common disconnect students feel with Shakespeare, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for his plays.
For many students, their initial encounter with Shakespeare occurs within the confines of a classroom, often resulting in a frustrating experience of “mouthing words that make little sense,” according to actor David Tennant, a Shakespeare veteran whose recent performance as Macbeth received a five-star review from The Guardian. The RSC’s curriculum seeks to remedy this by prioritizing experience, engagement, and performance over rote memorization and passive reading.
The program introduces a practical,workshop-based approach,with RSC educators working directly with teachers and students. This method is already proving prosperous, as evidenced by the positive response from students like 15-year-old Charlie, who typically prefers rap music but found the RSC approach to be “a nice break, doing something different.” Kieran, 14, echoed this sentiment, noting that even without immediate comprehension of the language, listening to Shakespeare can help students “grasp what’s going on.”
According to the RSC, the curriculum is designed to emulate the collaborative spirit of a professional rehearsal room, encouraging inquiry and finding. Judi Dench, a renowned Shakespearean actress who stated in 2023, “All I ever wanted to do was play Shakespeare, nothing else,” believes Shakespeare’s plays remain timeless and relevant to young audiences. She emphasized the importance of “peeling back its layers and playing with different interpretations to find a way of telling the story for today.”
The RSC’s initiative represents a significant shift in Shakespeare education, aiming to cultivate a new generation of engaged and excited audiences and performers. The program seeks to transform Shakespeare from a daunting academic subject into a ”living,breathing thing” accessible to all students,as described by an RSC representative.
