Heaton Shakespeare Festival
November 2023 celebrates the 400th anniversary of the First Folio - a collection of Shakespeare’s plays first published in 1623, seven years after his death. What better way to honour this momentous milestone in literature’s history, than to hear about how schools are keeping Shakespeare alive.
Lisa Hall, Assistant Headteacher of Cragside Primary School tells us about their annual Heaton Shakespeare Festival that is growing from strength to strength. Watch her video and read the full blog below.
“Heaton is a vibrant area in the east end of Newcastle-upon-Tyne that embodies the creativity of the Ouseburn’s thriving cultural quarter. It is also home to one of Newcastles’ most iconic amateur theatres, the People’s Theatre.
Two years ago, in collaboration with six local schools, Heaton School’s Shakespeare Festival was born. This joint undertaking is an exciting community venture which sees the People’s Theatre and local schools work together to present abridged versions of some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.
The project involves 180 young people aged 10 to 15 years old and is a fantastic showcase for what our schools and teachers are doing to introduce young people to live performance as the children take to the stage in a unifying and exhilarating evening of live theatre. This community event is now a highlight of the school calendar and our the number of schools getting involved is growing year-on-year.
The festival takes place in the summer term but behind the scenes school and theatre staff begin their collaboration as at the start of the academic year, meeting to finalise performance dates, workshop content, publicity, photography… the list goes on!
The performances themselves are each unique. This year, we saw Midsummer Night’s Dream performed with a Glastonbury twist and Romeo and Juliet set against a 1980s backdrop of ‘Punk Rock’ vs ‘New Romantics.’ There are no limits as far as creativity goes. Our schools love to think outside the box!
Months of preparation
Such performances are of course a culmination of months of hard work during which young people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities find their voice and hone their craft in school rehearsal rooms. A huge part of this process is about learning to support and appreciate the work of others, making every mistake an ideal opportunity to learn and develop a common goal – to nurture a love of performing, grow skills and improve confidence in a supportive environment.
People’s Theatre member and ex-drama teacher, Chris Heckles-Thompson has a vital role to play in the run-up to the performances, curating and leading a series of workshops at the theatre during which children learn about stage presence and confidence; vocal control and expression and body language and movement. As well as this, they have the opportunity to ‘tread the boards’ and see at first hand the stage on which they will perform which is always a ‘wow’ moment particularly for those children who have never experienced theatre before. Chris also visits each school to support staff who are directing the performances, facilitating a deeper interrogation into key characters and scenes. Technical skills are of course essential for developing a solid performer, but it is perhaps more important that a student finds a personal connection with their performance to drive them on. When children find this connection, their confidence grows. Young people who feel excited and proud of what they’re achieving can make a huge difference.
Young people find their voice
Children’s voices can also be found through dance or movement. This year, we were fortunate to utilise the expertise of a secondary trained dance and drama teacher who worked with each of our schools to develop a dance piece which was incorporated into each live performance.
“It was a real privilege to be able to work with so many amazing young people. I was blown away by their enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude. They had so many fantastic ideas that they wanted to incorporate into each piece and worked hard to develop new skills and techniques.” Dance teacher
Authentic experiences
Our collaboration with local theatre really does level the playing field as far as Shakespeare is concerned. What better place to experience the work of ‘The Bard’ than at a local theatre which is accessible to all and not just the few.
“Connecting with our local theatre has been fantastic. Despite the fact that it is on our door-step, many of our children had never been before. I think it’s going to be hard to keep them away now.” Teacher
Staff involved in the festival have also seen the significant impact this programme has had on pupil’s confidence, self-esteem, resilience and ambition.
Life-long learning experiences
It goes without saying that the skills and tools young people learn in performing arts are ones that stay with them for life. In a time where the emphasis in schools is on more academically rigorous subjects, an opportunity to explore and celebrate performing arts is not just a privilege but a necessity.
“We often discover that our most confident performers are the ones who are most introverted off the stage. Through performance, these young people develop the tools they need to express their thoughts and feelings in a way that makes them feel empowered.” Teacher
The young people themselves, who are the heart of this project, talk freely about how being part of the festival has had a positive effect on their confidence and self-belief.
“I wasn’t sure about going to drama club to begin with because I thought I might get embarrassed but I didn’t. In fact, I loved it. I’m definitely going to do drama when I go up to secondary school.”
“When I stepped out on stage, it was a bit scary but I soon got into my stride. I loved every minute.”
“I didn’t think that I’d be able to remember all my words so it was a bit daunting but once I got into my costume on and stepped out on the stage I forgot about all of that and had a brilliant time.”
“Acting is just the best! This is the first time that I’ve been on stage. I didn’t have a big part but I was in lots of scenes. It was great being part of the company. I feel a lot more confident now.”
When surrounded by such shared enthusiasm and passion, a lifelong love of the performing arts forms quickly. This festival really is transforming lives through the unique power of Shakespeare.
