The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) announces the launch of the annual Playmaking Festival’s brand-new online platform. Over 1,500 young people from over 80 RSC Associate Schools have submitted 21 filmed performances, each inspired by one of Shakespeare’s plays.
For the first time in the history of the festival, submissions have also included performances by adults from the RSC’s Shakespeare Nation Community programme, creating an intergenerational Playmaking Festival. These performances are now available on the newly launched online space: www.rsc.org.uk/playmaking
The Playmaking Festival’s new online space has been developed in partnership with fishinabottle. Audiences can navigate the site by clicking on one of three zones, which will then take them through to an interactive map. Within each zone, audiences can access performance pieces created by different groups, according to their region.
The three zones have each been inspired by a line of Shakespearean text:
“Something wicked this way comes”
“More strange than true”
“And now, let’s go hand in hand”
Schools, theatre partners and Shakespeare Nation groups have all been provided with bespoke toolkits to support their performances. These include original music pieces composed by Tarek Merchant plus music and movement sessions with Tarek and Tanushka Marah. Schools have also had the opportunity to rehearse with Associate Learning Practitioner Director-Mentors: Marieke Audsley, Sam Colborne, Amy Draper, Oliver Lynes, Julia O’Keefe, Aaron Parsons, Luke Pearson, Abigail Sewell, Martha Toogood, Chris White, Leigh Wolmarans and Roberta Zuric.
Jacqui O’Hanlon, RSC Director of Leaning and National Partnership said: “This is an important time of reconnection for children, young people and adults across the country: reconnection with each other, with classmates, teachers and with local communities. The Playmaking Festival celebrates their creativity and resilience as we all come together to shape and make responses to Shakespeare’s work. Theatre and the arts play a vital role in our collective recovery; these aren’t ‘nice to have’ experiences. They are an essential part of growing up, of being alive, of feeling connected to other people, and of developing the agency we need to make positive changes in our lives. The festival invites makers and audiences of all ages to play and discover. We are so proud of the work and the achievements of the schools, communities and theatres we are privileged to work in partnership with.”
Also online this summer, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 74th Summer School is available for students to access from Monday 23 August – Friday 27 August. The week-long programme includes a series of online talks, sessions with actors, insights and provocations from theatre makers, academics, and reviewers, all to be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
The week will explore RSC productions past, present and future, including gems from our archive, special insights into our summer season production of The Comedy of Errors and an exclusive peak into our 2022 programme.
Each day will include two streamed sessions as well as a ‘Green Room’ discussion to round off the day where summer schoolers can connect and reflect together. In addition, the week will include access to two full length RSC productions that will streamed specifically for summer school participants.
For more information on the RSC Online Summer School, visit: www.rsc.org.uk/education/teacher-professional-development/rsc-summer-school
