Local people were treated to a finale production of a modern version of Romeo and Juliet at the Embassy Theatre in Skegnesst, featuring 10 pupils from Skegness Junior Academy. It was all part of a new cultural partnership with the RSC.
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00:00 What's been the most challenging bit? What's been the bit that you've either found difficult
00:07 or you've worked really hard on to get right? What's been the most challenging?
00:11 Getting the emotions on your face.
00:14 Ah, so making sure your face suited the emotions that you're having and that told the story. Excellent.
00:21 Hello, my name's Georgia White. I am Deputy Director of Creative Learning and Engagement
00:26 for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We're really proud to be working in partnership with the Embassy
00:31 and schools in Skegness. We work with partnerships across 30 areas in the country
00:36 that all face significant challenges. And with these partnerships we're able to improve learning outcomes
00:43 for children and young people through theatre, the arts, Shakespeare, and look at building skills
00:48 for life and for work so that they can become citizens of employability for the future.
00:56 So it's a really pivotal moment for us that this is the first opportunity we're able to bring
01:01 one of our productions to the Embassy with young people from local schools performing in it.
01:06 And it's all about looking at how we can together, collaboratively, really build an arts-rich curriculum
01:13 within the schools and an arts-rich community in Skegness.
01:16 It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I think a lot of people thought it potentially could never happen
01:22 but the RSC have really delivered on their promise of levelling up opportunities for the area.
01:27 For the last week they've been working within our local junior and primary schools in the area
01:32 to give children, students, and the school communities a real sense of what it is that the Royal Shakespeare can offer
01:40 in terms of getting people comfortable with the language. And of course it all goes on to help them
01:45 really embrace the language of Shakespeare in everyday life.
01:49 Because of course it's still something that we all use, those little idioms here and there.
01:54 But we're super excited to see so many people turn out to support it tonight.
01:58 And also to see ten of those youngsters from the Skegness Junior School actually appear alongside a professional cast
02:07 in Skegness. And yeah, let's see where it goes.
02:11 I'm David Herdman and I'm the headteacher of St Peter and St Paul's Primary School at Borough of Arsh.
02:16 Now I understand the Royal Shakespeare Company visited your school this week. What happened while they were there?
02:23 So we're thrilled to be involved in this project. So the Royal Shakespeare Company, the full team came in on Monday.
02:31 The main aim was to put on two performances of Romeo and Juliet, First Encounters.
02:36 One for the children in Key Stage 2 and then one for parents and members of our community in the evening.
02:43 The performance involved ten of our young people actually playing roles in the production,
02:50 which was an amazing opportunity for them to perform alongside the professional cast.
02:54 I was going to ask you what the response was, because it's quite challenging, isn't it? Quite challenging roles.
03:01 Oh yes, and so the production was using an abridged version of the text, but it was the original Shakespearean language.
03:09 So that in itself was a challenge for not just the performers, but for the audience as well.
03:14 Monday was the first time the young people had performed with the cast as well.
03:19 They'd rehearsed with the creative associates beforehand, but Monday was the first time that they integrated their roles
03:27 with the professional cast, which was a challenge, but a really proud moment as well when they stepped on stage to play their part.
03:35 Would you welcome more opportunities like this?
03:38 Oh, absolutely. When this was offered, we jumped at the chance.
03:44 Just the chance to have such professional, high quality performers in our school was a no-brainer.
03:53 And giving the children and the families in our community a chance to see what is out there, to open their eyes to this sort of thing.
04:01 We would do this again and again, and we're hoping this is just the start of something much bigger.
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