Royal Shakespeare Company
At Hempshill we are proud to work as a Lead School with The Royal Shakespeare Company. This a national programme working with schools across the country to develop children’s learning though the teaching of Shakespeare and also the use of rehearsal room techniques. At the heart of this approach is the belief that Shakespeare should be seen rather than read, children should engage with his words and stories through actively taking part in a range of drama activities that encourage and enable them to understand Shakespeare for themselves. Recent research from the RSC has shown how rehearsal room techniques support children with learning outcomes across the curriculum
The Theatre Royal, Nottingham and The Nottingham Playhouse
As a part of this programme we also work in collaboration with both of our local theatres The Theatre Royal, Nottingham and The Nottingham Playhouse. This work enables us to benefit from their venues and experiences working with various practitioners to develop drama and performance in school, visit the venues for performances, workshops and backstage tours.
Shakespeare Week
Each year we hold our Shakespeare Week during which children from Y1-6 study the same Shakespeare play. It is always an exciting week with so much creativity, there is such a buzz around school and it is special to all be focussing on the same thing no matter how big or small! We look forward to welcoming our Associate Artists into school who come to share their expertise and help us to go deeper into the play using either drama, art or music. Children in Y3, Y4 and Y5 will also have Shakespeare based half term topic where they can learn more about another play. We have chosen to focus on The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest and Macbeth.
Shakespeare Showcase
Another highlight in our RSC partnership is our Shakespeare Showcase which is held as part of the RSC Playmaking Festival. In our summer term 2024, 17 pupils from Y4 worked with staff and a drama specialist from the RSC to rehearse and then perform three scenes from Romeo and Juliet. They then had the opportunity to perform their scene on stage at The Theatre Royal in front of an audience of friends, parents and invited guests. It was a really amazing experience!
