Adcote School for Girls is focusing on the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare by providing a series of activities for its students and the wider public to enjoy.
Adcote girls celebrated ‘Shakespeare day’ at Shrewsbury castle on 23rd April by performing a shortened version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the castle grounds. The play was performed by one team of Year 12 girls and two further teams from Year 7. ‘The girls were very excited to be performing for the public in such a magnificent setting and on such a special occasion’ said their Director, Mr Danny Davies. This production is part of the School’s celebrations which include two Shakespeare themed Open Day events and a series of free Shakespeare drama workshops which are being offered to local junior schools in June.
The next Open Day at Adcote School will take place on Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May from 9.00am to 4.00pm. The event will be centred on Shakespeare and Performing Arts. All visitors are invited to partake in a hearty Breakfast, have a tour of the School with current students, meet the Senior Management Team and then watch a performance of the edited version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream staged in the beautiful gardens at Adcote. This will be followed by a traditional Afternoon Tea in the historic surroundings of the Great Hall to which all are welcome.
There is a further invitation to visit Adcote School on the second Open Day of the Summer Term on Saturday 14th May, from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The theme of this event is ‘Shakespeare Alive at Adcote School – All the world’s a stage’. The day will include a series of workshops and activities exploring Shakespeare’s plays. Performing Arts students will be presenting famous speeches by Heroines of the plays and there will be drama games, quizzes and a chance to dress up and perform some short scenes including acting as the Witches from Macbeth. Characters from the plays will be in costume and on hand to guide guests around the School. Visitors are invited to meet Shakespeare’s characters and get creative with his insults!
Adcote School students have also been given a wonderful opportunity to participate in a ‘BBC Learning live lesson’. Around 30 Year 7 girls have been invited to observe a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Birmingham Library and delve into Shakespeare’s texts, examining the techniques used by him to convey his vision and by actors and directors to interpret the plays. This will then be followed by a recording session of their efforts as ‘Shakespeare Detectives’ which will be transmitted live on the BBC website. Head of English, Mrs Sally Dale, commented ‘To take part in a performance with the RSC is exciting, rewarding and inspiring, and we are delighted to have been offered the opportunity to participate’.
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