DCB collaborates with the Royal Shakespeare Company

Alexander Tew
Head of Drama

Last week, the annual Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Learning residency returned to DCB in a virtual format. Students from Year 7 and Year 9 were joined online by Tarek Merchant from Royal Shakespeare Company Learning. Students in these year groups explored the key themes of Shakespeare’s work using rehearsal room techniques and approaches.

This week, Year 7 English students explored A Midsummer Night’s Dream through a range of practical activities as a way of summarising what they have previously been learning in their English lessons. Students were introduced to active ways of speaking and performing some of these spoken sections, in order to develop a stronger understanding of what the play would look like on stage. 

RSC workshop

Year 9 Drama students were also introduced to the context behind Henry V, particularly how the central character can be portrayed in different ways on stage. This included them practically exploring some of the play’s most famous speeches and considering how they can use voice and physicality to best represent this iconic character.

This was a fantastic experience for our students, and we are very fortunate to have been able to access live theatre workshops from RSC Learning!

RSC workshop