The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford upon Avon and shared around the world. We place a special emphasis on sharing Shakespeare’s work with children and young people. We believe that young people get the most out of Shakespeare’s plays when they see them performed live and actively explore the text ‘on their feet’. This means speaking the words out-loud and bringing tried and tested RSC rehearsal room approaches into the classroom through our resources.
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford upon Avon and shared around the world. We place a special emphasis on sharing Shakespeare’s work with children and young people. We believe that young people get the most out of Shakespeare’s plays when they see them performed live and actively explore the text ‘on their feet’. This means speaking the words out-loud and bringing tried and tested RSC rehearsal room approaches into the classroom through our resources.
This is a printable teachers' pack with classroom activities and teaching resources based on Antony & Cleopatra by William Shakespeare. The activities include:
- Investigating the political situation
- Staging the barge scene
- What is it to be Roman?
Michael Boyd's 2010 production of Antony é Cleopatra with the RSC.
The ideas in this free printable pack of teaching resources on Richard III are drawn directly from the rehearsal room, and are rooted in the idea of using the text as spoken word, with the group working as actors.Michael Boyd's production of Richard III was performed by the RSC’s first long ensemble Geoffrey Streatfeild, who played Lord Rivers in the production.
This printable synopsis of Macbeth is an engaging teaching resource for students and teachers, created by writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz and suitable (with some adaptation for very young children) across the Key Stages.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
An engaging synopsis of The Merchant of Venice, printable and ready for use by students and teachers, created by writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Suitable for all Key Stages with adaptations.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
This printable handout or worksheet contains an engaging synopsis of Henry the Fifth for use by students and teachers, created by writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Suitable for Key Stage 2 onwards.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
Printable worksheet handouts with a brief story of Shakespeare's life, combining fact with theory. Follow him from his birth through his school years, early marriage, the theatre years in London to his return home to Stratford. This document is designed as a resource for teachers which can be adapted to use with your students.
This free teachers' pack contains classroom activities based on Rupert Goold's 2010/11 production of Romeo and Juliet. They have been designed with KS3 and KS4 students in mind, but can be adapted for other ages. The activities are:
- Presenting the prologue, as a way into the play
- Designing the play
- Exploring how Romeo and Juliet meet through movement
This printable teaching resource has been inspired by the rehearsal process of Gregory Doran in preparing for the 2013 production of this play. The activities are designed to support you in exploring context with your students and introduces some of the text's themes.
The pack accompanies the RSC's broadcast of Richard II, which will took place on 15 November 2013.
This free teaching pack will help teachers to investigate the challenges faced by an RSC director staging Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, with your students.
To stage Julius Caesar, Lucy Bailey, the director, used a number of different techniques to explore the challenges that the play presents. These include, creating a crowd with only twenty two actors and portraying classical Rome to a modern audience.
The printable activities and information in this resrouces pack are inspired by Roxana Silbert’s 2011 production of Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. They can be used either as supporting activities for students seeing the production or as stand-alone practical approaches to the play. They have been designed with KS5 students in mind, but can be adapted for other age groups.
Why are the Capulets and Montagues at war? A printable worksheet resource about Romeo and Juliet. Written by Carol Chillington Rutter, Professor of English Literature at Warwick University. This article first appeared in the show programme for the RSC's 2006 production of Romeo and Juliet. Suitable for Key Stage 3 onwards.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
Actor Greg Hicks plays Macbeth in the 2004 production and believes the whole play is leading up to the moment we see in Act 5 Scene 5. He also discusses the play's theme of free will and fate and suggests that Macbeth had no control over his destiny.
A resource that can be used to lead discussions as to the power of magic and the supernatural in Shakespeare's plays, the position that magic held in Tudor society and then within the court of James I and how magic and the supernatural are key elements within other Shakespeare plays and why.
Suitable for upper Key Stage 2 onwards.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
This pack supports the RSC’s 2012 productions of Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors and The Tempest directed by RSC Associate Director David Farr. These productions were part of the World Shakespeare Festival and the three plays were cross-cast within one acting company and one shared environment; creating a world of shipwrecks, grief, laughter, love and reunion.
The activities in this pack are inspired by the themes in the three plays and can be used either as stand-alone practical approaches to the plays or as supporting activities for students seeing the productions. They have been designed with KS3 students in mind, but can be adapted for other age groups. Some are best suited to an open space such as a hall, but many can be used in a classroom.
The pack is divided up into 10 distinct sections designed to help you to plan your lessons: Introduction and About our Education work; About the plays; From the director David Farr; Internationalism and migration;
About the director Amir Nizar Zuabi; Egeon’s speech; Themes and ideas in the plays; Activities; Storytelling and improvisation and More resources. There are activities within each section which follow the RSC's active approach to learning about Shakespeare and are driven and guided by our rehearsal room practice.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
This pack supports the RSC’s 2018 production of Macbeth, directed by Polly Findlay and performed in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and then at the Barbican in London. The activities provided are specifically designed to support Key Stage 3-4 students, irrespective of whether they are attending a performance or studying the play in school although there are specific details relating to this production throughout.
There are activities within each section of the pack which follow the RSC’s active approach to learning about Shakespeare and are driven and guided by our rehearsal room practice. The pack also contains text based resources and some key scenes from the play.
The exercises included in this printable worksheet resource pack are practical group activities based on the 2006 production of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, directed by Sean Holmes. They can be used by you with your group in any large, clear space.
This pack supports the RSC’s 2008 production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Neil Bartlett. The following practical classroom exercises are designed to help you explore the language in Romeo and Juliet with your group.The activities provided are specifically designed to support KS3-5 students.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
This resource is a complete teachers' pack with classroom activities based on King Lear by William Shakespeare. The activities include:
- Investigating design
- Creating missing scenes
- Exploring staging challenges
Based on David Farr's 2010 production of King Lear with the RSC.
This bank of images from different RSC productions of Macbeth can be used to compare interpretations and spark discussion.
Suitable for Key Stage 2 onwards.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
This bank of images from different RSC productions can be used to compare interpretations and spark discussion.
Suitable for Key Stage 2 onwards.
Find more of our resources on our website: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-resources
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare. See the RSC's set, actor, and directorial choices in this printable resource, full of teaching ideas. The Winter's Tale contains two contrasting worlds, Sicilia, a courtly world and Bohemia, a forest world. For his 2009 production David Farr wanted Bohemia to be a fairytale world and Sicilia to be much more austere.