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SHAKESPEARE FOR SCHOOLS Function Factory have been advocating Shakespeare for primary schools for over 15 years. Many students first experience of Shakespeare is in Year 9, Key Stage 3. At the age of 13 or 14, when self consciousness is to the fore, this can prove a challenge for those with little or no experience of Shakespeare. Young teenagers often approach the topic with a pedjudiced opinion that it is "boring", "too hard" or "only for posh people". The later that Shakespeare is introduced, the harder it can seem. Function Factory's "Shakespeare for Primary Schools" programme aims to dissipate these negative opinions before they are fully formed by allowing younger students to "play" while they learn. Function Factory actress and driving force behind the programme, Yvonne Pinnington remembers the "fear" of Shakespeare well. "In my last year at primary school everybody was talking about what it would be like at high school and what exciting things you would get to do. Then the "S" word was mentioned . . . SHAKESPEARE!!!! Older siblings had forewarned us of the horrors that the subject held - hours of reading through a text written in what seemed like a foriegn language, how difficult it was, how boring, how pointless. By the time I got to high school I'd built a barrier against Shakespeare, so high that it seemed insurmountable - I'm sure it was the same for most of my schoolfriends. I got my O and A Levels in English Literature by repeating parrot fashion what the teachers had said in class. Not that we were taught badly - I had a wonderful English teacher, it was just that because of my preconceptions about the topic, I didn't want to know. When I was training to be an actor I was filled with the same trepidation as we approached Shakespeare - but this time it was different - we were doing it on our feet - playing with the characters and situations - much as a child would do with a fairy story. Finally the penny dropped. Working on Shakespeare is a thing of joy and excitement - the stories and characters are timeless, not pointless or old fashioned and the language rich and beautiful. I felt that I had missed out, on so much over the years, because of the preconcieved ideas that had blocked the way. That is the reason why I am so committed to introducing Shakespeare to students at an early age - so that when an older sibling says it's "boring", the younger can say "Oh no it's not. I've done it and it's brill!" ". Function Factory "Shakespeare for Primary Schools" workshops last for 2 hours and are suitable for up to 30 children. The 2008 / 2009 programme offers workshops in the following plays:
Function Factory also offer Shakespeare workshops for lower secondary and GCSE students. To book a workshop for your school or for further information, please contact Function Factory function.factory@virgin.net |
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