Shakespeare performances - May 2022

Macbeth is all about ambition and visions. It’s fitting then, that Year 11 were lucky enough to supplement their rigorous revision schedules with a viewing of the very play they’ll be writing about for their GCSEs in just a few weeks.

The Young Shakespeare Company bring The Bard’s plays to life for schools and theatres across the whole of the UK; last Tuesday and Thursday, they did just that in our hall. Watching the students see the pages they’ve studied for so long actualized on the stage was inspiring - it felt like watching hard work pay off.

As if that wasn’t enough, catching some of them emotively mouthing along the words to key moments and sections of soliloquies proved that these centuries-old plays are still capable of enriching, enlightening and emboldening young minds.

Good luck remembering key quotes in your exam Year 11, but honestly, it doesn’t seem like you need it.

So far, in their time at Hawthornes, Year 7 have studied a range of topics in English: The magical myths of the Ancient Greeks; Chaucer’s captivating Canterbury Tales; gruesome Gothic literature and an introduction to some of Shakespeare’s key characters. In their next Learning Cycle, however, they will be studying the entirety of Romeo and Juliet! What better way to introduce them to the characters than to, well, introduce them to the characters - in person.

The Young Shakespeare Company’s rendition and modern retelling of the entrancing tragedy came complete with a Q&A session, explanations of how each character would be presented and even a chance for some audience participation. This saw our students reading aloud lines to help the minimalist troupe of actors along and providing suggestions for how characters could change the way they delivered their lines.

It was amazing to see the whole of Year 7 interacting and engaging with their studies on a completely different level.