On Friday 15 November, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) became the first UK theatre to broadcast Shakespeare direct into schools, as Richard II with David Tennant in the title role was streamed free of charge into classrooms up and down the country.L-R: Oliver Ford Davies (Duke of York), Nigel Lindsay (Bolingbroke), David Tennant
(Richard II). Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Barbican Theatre. Photographer : Kwame Lestrade. RSC
Directed by the RSCs Artistic Director, Gregory Doran, Richard II was viewed by at around 34,000 students across the UK and then followed by a live Q&A with David and Gregory. 78% of the schools taking part in the broadcast were from the state sector and nearly half (46%) saw the companys work for the first time with no previous ticketing history with the RSC.
A UK first, Richard II launches a series of Shakespeare productions that the RSC will broadcast free of charge to schools each term as part of its Young Shakespeare Nation project, in collaboration with The Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts (CATA).
David Tennant (Richard II). Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Barbican Theatre. Photographer : Kwame Lestrade. RSC
The broadcast was made possible through a creative collaboration between the RSC, Ravensbourne College and Janet, part of the Jisc Group, who manage one of the worlds leading research and education networks. Janet has provided the resource which enable 3,000 terminals to log on to this unique online experience and the team at Ravensbourne has built an interactive platform that will allow them to present the film in an exciting and dynamic way to young audiences.
As well as overseeing the broadcast and studio, the students at Ravensbourne have also devised an interactive map as part of the studio set which will show the geographical spread of where participating schools across the country are based. After the production, all participating schools were asked for feedback and student reaction to the experience with a select group of schools taking part in more in-depth focus group discussions about the impact of the project.
In light of the recent reforms to the English curriculum which stipulates that all state educated 11-14 year olds must study a minimum of two Shakespeare texts, the live broadcast series is an example of how the RSC is working with new technology partners to give more young people access to high quality experiences of Shakespeare in school.
Young Shakespeare Nation is a new initiative inviting schools, students and teachers across the UK to join the RSC and CATA on an ambitious journey through Shakespeares plays, giving a new generation of students the chance to discover and experience the breadth of his work.
For more information about Young Shakespeare Nation visit; http://www.rsc.org.uk/education
About Janet Jisc
Janet Jisc (http://www.jisc.ac.uk) offers digital services for UK education and research. The charity enables people in higher education, further education and skills in the UK to perform at the forefront of international practice by exploiting fully the possibilities of modern, digital empowerment, content and connectivity. Jisc is at the forefront of the practical application of technology in universities, colleges and schools. Jisc has earned a reputation as a trusted partner for the education and research sectors. It combines the latest in digital thinking, network and IT services with access to negotiated, procured and brokered rates with publishers and software suppliers to deliver new and better ways of working for all customers to achieve operational advantage.
Janet, part of the Jisc group, has the primary aim of providing and developing a network infrastructure and related services that meet the needs of research and education communities.
Ravensbourne is a university sector college innovating in digital media and design. It has a community of approximately 2,000 students and offers vocational digital media and design courses from pre-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate to professional short-course level. Ravensbourne champions the creative exploitation of digital technology through innovation and collaboration. It is driven by industry standards and supported by the latest high-performance technology, producing highly employable and enterprising graduates. It has a strong track record in graduate employability and business creation. Today Ravensbourne also hosts more than 100 creative technology businesses alongside its student community who utilise its leading edge technologies, media resources and collaborate with its student body and industry partners.
http://www.rave.ac.uk
http://www.twitter.com/RavensbourneUK
Young Shakespeare Nation has been created by the RSC in partnership with HRH The Prince of Wales charity The Princes Foundation for Children & the Arts. Both organisations are committed to reaching students and schools who would otherwise not have easy access to these kinds of cultural experiences.
Every school is invited to take part and teachers can choose from a range of options to explore all of Shakespeares plays: participating in live theatre experiences, free broadcasts of productions into classrooms, and teacher professional development and workshops for students. Teachers will be supported with a range of tools, resources and opportunities.
The Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts The Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales with the fundamental belief that every child has the right to be inspired by the arts. The Prince of Wales remains a very active President. To fulfil HRHs vision, the charitys UK wide arts engagement programmes work with deprived children from areas of social and economic disadvantage and build partnerships between their schools and local high quality cultural venues. The charity take
