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.
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
A visual resource of the royal lineage encompassing a selection of Shakespeare's History plays, including RSC production images from the 2013 production of Richard II, the 2014 productions of Henry IV parts I and II and the 2015 production of Henry V. Suitable for Key Stage 1 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.
