Page 16 - link magazine

16 The Link Magazine • April 2000
Shakespeare takes centre stage of school's festival
Months of hard work by 45 teachers and 1,200 performers comes to a spectacular conclusion when 13 primary and 3 secondary schools, a
sepcial school, two colleges and two local drama groups perform versions of the Bard's work. Festival director Tim Noble explains the
educational benefits being seen in West Swindon and further afield.
Why do a Shakespeare festival?, They are 'known' by countless collect his own writing together. ready to show their parents and all
a parent asked me last year. people across the globe and every- But why perform Shakespeare? of Swindon their versions of his
One reason is that the National one who has struggled with the Surely it's too hard for children to plays starting on April 3rd, they
Curriculum in English and the Lit- question of the meaning of life understand? Well, I take my cue will be adding their little bit to the
eracy Hour in primary schools re- shares something with Hamlet. from one of this country's finest world-wide record of Shakespeare
quires pupils of 10, 13 and 15 to Why Shakespeare? Well, he is acto N, Sir Ian McKellan, who wrote performances being collected by
have studied Shakespeare's work. somehow 'necessary' to us in 1997 in sup- The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
For GCSE in English Literature, for us all - otherwise Festival Launch port of our festival Our festival has attracted sup-
they must write an essay about he simply wouldn'tbe Saturday 1 April, 10am for The Tempest and port from the Shakespeare Centre
some of his plays. read or watched out- to 4pm at Greendown said he believed that in Stratford, Education Extra in
But there are other good reasons side schools. School, Grange Park long before Shake- London, Swindon Arts Founda-
too. In the 37 plays Shakespeare Somewhere on the Meet William speare is studied, he tion and Swindon Council.
wrote, there are timeless stories planet, at any given Shakespeare, plus should be per- American school and college stu-
that for five hundred years have moment, there is a actors Susan Tulley formed. dents and teachers are keen to find
interested, amused, terrified, edu- Shakespeare play go- David Suchet and Nationally fa- out more about the festival - and
cated and challenged the millions ing on. It might be in Shakespeare directors mous Sarah Gordon some are even coming to Swindon
of people who have either read his a tiny upstairs room and Chris Geelan of to watch us perform.
plays or seen them acted. of a bombed-out house in some the Young Shakespeare Company Everybody involved has worked
Here can be found family jeal- war-torn province, or a huge and have helped teachers in the West enormously hard and the perform-
ousy, young love, murder, anger, expensive production in a national Swindon project by writing guides ances will be memorable for the
pride, humility, generosity and capital's finest theatre, but he is to some of the lesser known plays children who have tackled the Bard
deceit - all human life, dramatised constantly being performed. and showing them how to intro- with such great enthusiasm.
to show his characters in the grip People clearly need and like his duce each work using a story-tell- So if you want to see comedy
of these emotions, heightened by plays - no other writer has been ing method. and tragedy, farce and melodrama,
great poetry. translated into so many other lan- Acting out these plays in differ- 'It's a Knockout' knockabout and
His range is unparalleled in guages, despite them being writ- ent ways is fun - 1,200 children multi-media manoeuvres, ring
world writing. Some like Falstaff, ten in 16th century English. His can't all be wrong! As they get 874224 and book lots of tickets now.
the jolly boozy braggart who cor- collected plays, together with the
rupts the young Prince Henry, or Bible, have been the biggest seller Performances at Greendown School
Romeo and Juliet, the world's most in world literature for hundreds of
memorable lovers, are so much years. Not bad for a provincial Eng- Monday 3 April to Saturday 15 April
themselves that they almost have lish writer born over 500 years ago, 1.30pm & 7pm daily
a life outside the plays. who never bothered to keep or Tickets 14 adults, £2 children from each school
or Greendown, tel: (01793) 874224

Monday 3 April Two Noble Kinsmen (Hreod Parkway)
Two Gentlemen of Verona, Comedy of Errors
THEATRE EXPRESS Tuesday 4 April (Shaw Ridge)
Much Ado About Nothing; As You Like It;
All's Well That Ends Well (Wroughton)
FEES REDUCED! PRE 1997 RATES!
Wednesday 5 April Merchant of Venice (Saltway)
..... Summer Term starts May 2000 Pericles (Robert Le Kyng)
Theatre Express Performing Arts Schools & Theatre Company, Macbeth (Tregoze)
has openings at its weekend performing arts schools, Thursday 6 April Much Ado About Nothing,
based at SWINDON and BURFORD The Dream (Brook Field)
Theatre Express is fun! Julius Caesar (Crowdy's Hill School)
Friday 7 April Love's Labours Lost (Abbey Meads)
It also helps to develop: self-confidence; self-esteem; articulation;
imagination; co-ordination; expression; and other important life skills. Coriolanus, Troilus & Cressida (Greendown)
Theatre Express training is designed for 5 to 16 year olds. They come Saturday 8 April Henry V (Oliver Tomkins Infants)
together in three age groups, with a maximum of 16 per group, working Richard 11 (Junction 16 drama group)
for one hour, with experienced tutors, in the disciplines of: Henry IV (Cirencester College)
Acting, Singing & Dance Monday 10 April Henry VI (Greendown)
Now taking bookings for our Summer Schools 2000 Richard III (Noremarsh)
Henry VIII (Oliver Tomkins)
FREE CINEWORLD TICKETS
Tuesday II April Romeo & Juliet; Taming of the Shrew;
for the first few completed application forms
Anthony & Cleopatra (Greendown)
Contact Theatre Express for a free Wednesday 12 April The Merry Wives of Windsor (Oliver Tomkins)
prospectus - Tel/Fax: 01608 676024 Twelfth Night (Toothill)
Thursday 13 April King John, Hamlet (Westlea)
Or write to: Theatre Express, PO Box 94
Measure for Measure (Ridgeway)
Chipping Norton D.O. OX7 3YL
Friday 14 April The Tempest (Oliver Tomkins Infants)
or E-mail:perform@theatre-express.com Cymbeline (Haydonleigh)
Saturday 15 April Titus Andronicus (Greendown)
Othello (Head to Toe drama group)
THEATRE EXPRESS: THE 1ST CHOICE FOR PERFORMING ARTS IN SWINDON King Lear (Swindon College)