An estimated 24,000 young people will see a Shakespeare production in their school hall or theatre in 2025 when the Royal Shakespeare Company takes two First Encounters with Shakespeare productions on tour.
An abridged version of The Tempest will tour between February and May. It will visit schools and theatres in County Durham, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, York, Hull, Bradford, Stratford, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle upon Tyne, Corby, Blackpool, Cumbria and Northampton.
The creative team will include Aaron Parsons (director and movement), Aldo Vázquez (set and costume designer) and Jack Drewry (composer and sound designer). A team of RSC creative associates will collaborate with young people in preparation for the production, exploring and developing the play through sound as well as delving into the play’s key moments, themes and characters.
In autumn 2025, the second First Encounters with Shakespeare production will begin a 12-week tour of schools and theatres. Full details will be announced later.
The RSC will also stream the 2024 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream into classrooms nationwide from 3 until 7 February.
RSC director of creative learning and engagement Jacqui O’Hanlon said, “access to the arts in schools is at a crossroads after being eroded over many years with thousands of young people denied the sort of experiences that we know positively impact on life chances and learning outcomes.
“Taking our work directly into schools and communities, we see the difference expressive arts subjects and experiences make to children’s lives. We believe that the best way for Shakespeare’s work to be experienced by young people is through performance and we believe that live theatre and an arts-rich education are the right of every child.”