Guildford Shakespeare Company is asking for help to raise £15,000 matching funding for a grant awarded by the Foyle Foundation for the engagement of a full-time education officer to expand its current education programmes for schools, colleges and in-house classes.
Founded in 2006, GSC is currently run by two full-time employees, whose duties encompass the running of all the education output as well as producing the company's productions throughout the year and day-to-day operations.
Sarah Gobran, one of the company's two founders, commented, "As GSC has grown, the demand for our expertise in supplying support work for schools and colleges as well as the outreach work we do through our in-house classes has grown enormously, but we have got to a stage where we require more experienced personnel to sustain this growth. Once in place, the role will become self-sustaining."
Co-founder, Matt Pinches, added, "In school, Shakespeare's work is often studied from a purely literary perspective. When students have the opportunity to physically experience the text, the whole world of the play is opened up to them. the characters' circumstances become real and students are given an opportunity to engage directly with the incredibly rich language.
"Such a positive experience can stay with an individual for life."
As well as greater support for schools, the appointment of a full-time education officer will expand the company's in-house work, which at present includes three after-school Shakespeare clubs in primary schools, Saturday morning drama and stage fighting classes and Tuesday evening classes for adults.
For more details about how to help and about the work of GSC, contact Sarah Gobran at [email protected] or on 07957 440866.