The playwright died in 1616 and the RSC is marking the anniversary with a special production. A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation, a co-production by the RSC and amateur companies, will tour the UK next year.
Schools joining the RSC’s initiative – entitled Dream Team 2016 – can get involved in a variety of ways, from producing full-scale productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to creating an Athenian wood in the playground or even making donkey’s ears and fairy wings like those worn by Shakespeare’s characters.
Some pupils will also get the chance to work with RSC actors in their own schools or perform their productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Dell, the RSC’s outdoor theatre space in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The RSC has created a host of free resources about the play, which starts with two sets of lovers eloping to the forest outside Athens.
These include 60-minute and 30-minute edits of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for use by primary, secondary and special schools, a specially composed musical score by Lynne Plowman, and guidance on directing and design. “It promises to be the biggest celebration of Shakespeare’s much-loved play to date,” Jacqui O’Hanlon, the RSC’s director of education, told SecEd.
“The whole project concludes with a nationwide week of performances and a special festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, where pupils can come and hone their acting skills, perform their plays and learn from RSC actors and directors.
“For schools who might feel nervous about staging Shakespeare’s work, our new 30-minute and 60-minute edits offer the perfect introduction and come with all the supporting tools, tips and insider know-how they’ll need to create breath-taking productions.
“We have designed Dream Team 2016 so that schools can choose the level of involvement that feels right for them.”
Schools can sign up at www.dream2016.org.uk/education and those who register before October 31 and tell the RSC how their school plans to celebrate A Midsummer Night’s Dream could also receive one of 400 limited edition copies of a commemorative playmaking pack.