UK Schools Get a Shot at Shakespeare with New Royal Shakespeare Company Curriculum
A group of year 10 English students at Ormiston Bushfield academy in Peterborough gathered around their desks on a dreary afternoon, ready to take part in a workshop about Macbeth as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's new curriculum.
The RSC has devised an online platform that allows teachers and pupils to access more than 2,000 resources, including video extracts from past rehearsals and activity-packed lesson plans, all free for UK state schools. The approach treats Shakespeare's works as living, breathing texts for performance rather than dry literature.
The workshop focused on Act 1, scene 7 of Macbeth, where the titular character is being persuaded to commit regicide by his wife Lady Macbeth. Students paired up and performed lines from the play with energy and enthusiasm.
Paul Ainsworth, a young theatre makers developer at the RSC, said that when students engage actively with Shakespeare's text, it opens doors for them to explore the playwright's work in a more immersive way.
The new curriculum launches this year with Macbeth, followed by Romeo and Juliet in 2026. The goal is to bring Shakespeare to young people in an engaging and accessible way.
Actors like David Tennant and Judi Dench are among those enthusiastic about the initiative. They believe that experiencing Shakespeare's works through performance rather than just reading them can make a significant difference for young audiences.
Charlie, a 15-year-old student who generally prefers rap over Shakespeare, found the workshop enjoyable, even though he admitted to not being a natural performer. His classmates were equally excited, and Kieran, another 14-year-old, said that listening to Shakespeare's lines can help him grasp what's happening in the play, even if he doesn't fully understand it.
The Royal Shakespeare Company's approach promises to bring the rehearsal room experience into classrooms across the UK, inspiring young minds with collaboration, inquiry, and discovery.
A group of year 10 English students at Ormiston Bushfield academy in Peterborough gathered around their desks on a dreary afternoon, ready to take part in a workshop about Macbeth as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's new curriculum.
The RSC has devised an online platform that allows teachers and pupils to access more than 2,000 resources, including video extracts from past rehearsals and activity-packed lesson plans, all free for UK state schools. The approach treats Shakespeare's works as living, breathing texts for performance rather than dry literature.
The workshop focused on Act 1, scene 7 of Macbeth, where the titular character is being persuaded to commit regicide by his wife Lady Macbeth. Students paired up and performed lines from the play with energy and enthusiasm.
Paul Ainsworth, a young theatre makers developer at the RSC, said that when students engage actively with Shakespeare's text, it opens doors for them to explore the playwright's work in a more immersive way.
The new curriculum launches this year with Macbeth, followed by Romeo and Juliet in 2026. The goal is to bring Shakespeare to young people in an engaging and accessible way.
Actors like David Tennant and Judi Dench are among those enthusiastic about the initiative. They believe that experiencing Shakespeare's works through performance rather than just reading them can make a significant difference for young audiences.
Charlie, a 15-year-old student who generally prefers rap over Shakespeare, found the workshop enjoyable, even though he admitted to not being a natural performer. His classmates were equally excited, and Kieran, another 14-year-old, said that listening to Shakespeare's lines can help him grasp what's happening in the play, even if he doesn't fully understand it.
The Royal Shakespeare Company's approach promises to bring the rehearsal room experience into classrooms across the UK, inspiring young minds with collaboration, inquiry, and discovery.
. I mean, who needs a boring textbook when you can perform Macbeth with your friends? Sounds like it's gonna be super interactive and fun... for the teachers, probably 
. But seriously, it's great that they're trying to bring Shakespeare's works to life in an engaging way. Who knows, maybe one of them will even discover a love for the Bard 
. And hey, actors David Tennant and Judi Dench are on board with this initiative, so I guess it can't be all bad... yet 
.
I'm loving this new initiative by the RSC! Bringing Shakespeare to life in a way that's fun and interactive is exactly what our schools need right now 
. It's all about engagement, not just reading it off the page 
. The fact that they've got over 2k resources online for teachers is pure gold 
! David Tennant and Judi Dench are on board, which is awesome – it's clear this project is going to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or interests 
. Can't wait to see more schools jumping on the bandwagon and giving their students a taste of what it's like to perform and explore live! 
So the RSC is making all this content for schools totally free? That's amazing... but how are they gonna pay for it? 
And what if some teachers don't wanna use it? 
Will it just get lost in the system? 
Maybe this will get more teens into theatre and performance arts... that would be awesome 
I'm so over this! Why do they need a whole platform of resources? Can't teachers just use their own creativity and get students excited about Shakespeare on their own? 
just think about it, uk schools are finally getting some real engagement with shakespeare, not just reading about him in class...it's time to get those kids moving & performing! 
especially with the online platform, it's super easy for teachers & students to access all these resources. act 1 of macbeth is a great place to start, who wouldn't want to see macbeth negotiating with lady macbeth? 
let's hope this initiative makes a real difference & gets more young people excited about the arts 
I've seen students here at Platform getting all worked up about school plays and musicals, so this sounds like a great opportunity to get more young people excited about the arts 
. What if the focus shifts too much from understanding the story itself to just performing lines? 