The stage. The home of expression, the origin of romance, the centre of comedy, the cradle of tragedy. The beginning of Hollywood’s greatest and most legendary, but also some young people’s “dream come true.” William Shakespeare gave us not only the greatest literary works in all of time, but left behind a legacy for aspiring young actors and actresses to be able to piece together and perform his soliloquies and monologues through the magnificent art of acting.
Shakespeare Schools Foundation is an organisation that, with the help of funding, helps to further develop the acting skills of children to enable them to perform the spectacular plays of William Shakespeare. They work with schools all over the UK, no matter what school type, area, culture. Their aim is for children to be able to use the skills learnt to prosper as people. For example, during job interviews, speaking exams, speeches or, in a rather obvious sense, if any of the children are considering becoming actors/actresses.
The part of this organisation which has earnt the most fame is the Shakespeare Schools Festival. This is an annual event which takes place all over the country, encouraging various schools to perform confidently and passionately to celebrate the renowned plays of the world’s greatest playwright. Plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Othello and many, many more are artistically performed every year, in a variation of styles and interpretations, wonderfully exhibiting the creativity of young minds, even with the level of writing as that of Shakespeare.
On the evening of November 28th, one of these festivals took place in Leatherhead Theatre, involving schools such as Clifton Hill School, Tolworth Girls School, Therfield School and Dunottar School, and with the involvement of countless members of staff, it proved to be a fantastic success which left the audience wide-eyed and gaping.
The evening consisted of 4 plays: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and Othello, all of which were performed scandalously well and would, most definitely do the Bard proud. With the addition of lights and music in the background, the four schools were really able to pull the evening together, which resulted in an emotional rollercoaster. Romeo and Juliet gripped hearts, while A Midsummer Night’s Dream raised the spirits above and beyond. A short interval then followed before Macbeth stole the stage, shortly trailed by the mind-bowing enactment of Othello to round off the evening with a deceptive and cunning tragedy.
This night was definitely one to treasure, for many children performing on that stage, with or without leading or even speaking roles. I was able to speak to Emily Mandry of Tolworth Girls’ School, who played Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she expressed the importance of the night for her: “It was an amazing opportunity to be able to perform on a real stage in front of an audience. It was a fun experience and everyone really enjoyed working together to create an amazing play.”
For many of these gifted individuals, this is only the beginning. For others, this may be all that they will ever be entitled to. Either way, these children will remember performing in front of so many people, with such confidence, alongside their school due to their ardent passion for acting.
One last message from Emily Mandry was: “I hope to be able to do it again in the future. Many thanks to the Shakespeare Schools Festival. It was a dream come true.”
And that, there, is the legacy of William Shakespeare.
