The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is adding five new locations to a program it has developed to collaborate with schools all over England.
In order to increase students' familiarity with Shakespeare's works, the company will work with students in Skegness, Coventry, Peterborough, Corby, and Hartlepool.
Targeting structurally disadvantaged areas across England is the goal of the RSC's Associate Schools Program.
In the past, it entered places like Blackpool, Newquay, and Hull.
These are some of the areas where opportunities for culture and the arts have historically been limited. These areas also have lower educational attainment, fewer job opportunities, and worse transportation infrastructure than the rest of the country.
The RSC program currently covers 26 regions, including North Staffordshire; the head teacher of Springhead Primary School was interviewed by BBC News.
One nine-year-old girl is overheard telling her teacher, "I'm absolutely sluggardized," after one PE class there. ".
Her fifth-grade class had just finished analyzing a play by Shakespeare in which the word, which means to make lazy or idle, was used. Now that she was using it properly, she emphasized how worn out she felt.
It was the most recent instance in her school of how Shakespeare is improving children's lives, even those of students who frequently struggle with language.
Brian Anderson, the head teacher, reports that when we announce that we will be studying Shakespeare, the kids cheer.
That probably cannot be said of the majority of schoolchildren.
The RSC has seen a real-terms reduction in funding from Arts Council England, but ACE has awarded new dedicated funding for an uptick in RSC touring, including to schools. This funding is also supported by charitable donations and a loan from Nesta, a social innovation foundation.
A child's language development by the age of five is still the best indicator of whether or not they will be able to escape poverty in the future, according to Jacqui O'Hanlon, director of learning and national partnership at the RSC. ".
The RSC program aims to expose kids to Shakespeare's intricate linguistic structure. Instead of finding certain words scary or confusing, she claims that they "get really curious about the possibilities of the meaning of particular words.".
The kids who have trouble reading and writing are almost always the ones who are most enthralled by these plays. ".
Every year, 135,000 kids and teenagers are reached by the program. It also aims to highlight the variety of careers in theater that are open to people, both on and off stage.
It begins with three and four-year-olds at Springhead.
The young children in the nursery might be shown a picture of Julius Caesar and told that he just won a conflict. They act out their characters' possible emotions while marching around like soldiers.
With various words on the ground that could describe a forest, the teacher could introduce them to A Midsummer Night's Dream. The kids discuss those words and start to add new ones.
It all revolves around giving them greater linguistic assurance. Springhead is involved throughout each academic year.
Teachers are trained by the RSC in rehearsal methods used by directors and actors. Instead of reading a challenging play, they are acting it out, exploring the characters and the language they use, and delving deeper into the words' meanings.
In addition to performing at nearby theaters that are also a part of the program, RSC actors also visit schools.
Anderson claims that it directly affects the language and literacy growth of his kids. .
"Their writing has improved significantly. The play's world really takes on a life of its own for the kids. It is simpler for them to complete their writing when they are in a classroom. ".
He tells me about a dyslexic child who refused to write anything down on paper and required the assistance of a teaching assistant. .
When studying The Taming of the Shrew in year six, the class role-played and discussed the potential motivations behind the language choices the characters might make.
The next task was to have the kids come up with a line that Katherina's sister, Bianca, the chosen child, might say. .
The 10-year-old spoke up and said, "She sheds one tear and the world is presented to her on a silver platter.
"The instructor thought it was wonderful. The other kids began enquiring about his sentence and expressing an interest in using it. That led to increased self-worth and self-belief.
He informed the TA that she could no longer scribe for him. He started writing himself after that. ".
The RSC seeks to quicken language learning, increase aspiration, and expand creativity and critical thinking. To determine its effects, a study is currently being conducted, but according to O'Hanlon, "Teachers tell us that children who weren't previously meeting expected standards now consistently are—because of how they are taught Shakespeare. ".
The schools leading the town's new partnership with the RSC, which will begin in September, are Skegness Infant and Junior Academies, whose executive principal is Rona Pryme. .
More than two thirds of her kids apply for free school meals, which is a sign of deprivation three times higher than the national average.
Employment in this region of Lincolnshire can be unpredictable and seasonal. Pryme informed me that many of her families were crammed into small spaces and substandard housing.
She wishes to set an example for her children.
They will perform Shakespeare at the town's Embassy Theatre in addition to in class.
"Skegness is not the center of the cultural universe in our opinion, but we must question those notions nonetheless. ".
"We're hoping the kids' eyes will be opened and that they'll realize there is a possibility for them to have a career in the arts.
"It's a good thing if it inspires just one kid to pursue a different line of work. ".
Callum James, 18, is applying to join the police force in North Staffordshire even though he would "100%" prefer to be an actor. For the time being, he is doing this to ensure his financial security.
He participated in the RSC outreach program as one of the first kids at Springhead Primary in North Staffordshire about ten years ago.
"I recall being incredibly excited by everything. Shakespeare wasn't a familiar name to me, but I immediately liked the strange and wonderful words he used, like "thou" and "art.".
Callum was chosen to participate in the RSC's Next Generation talent development program for young people from underprivileged backgrounds after performing at his school and the neighborhood New Vic theater in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Since then, he has appeared at the RSC Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Callum claims that he enjoys "delving into" Shakespearean language and that his involvement with the RSC has given him more self-assurance.
Being able to comprehend and value his meaning gives me a sense of accomplishment. Everyone should read Shakespeare. He wrote plays for the working class to enjoy. They threw tomatoes at actors who delivered their lines incorrectly. ".
Shakespeare's language, in O'Hanlon's opinion, is particularly challenging because it has the power to transform lives.
"It all comes down to giving the kids the means to decode things. They feel more in control. It's similar to cracking a code. So they believe they are capable of anything. ".
It could begin modestly. Like the kid who quoted Two Gentlemen of Verona after physical education class. .
It might signal the start of a much bigger thing.
