Is Shakespeare dead in the classroom? For generations, students have struggled to connect with the Bard's complex language and seemingly distant themes. But what if Shakespeare wasn't just something to read, but something to experience? The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is betting on it, with a groundbreaking new curriculum designed to breathe life into Shakespeare's works for UK students.
Imagine a typical, dreary afternoon in a secondary school classroom. Year 10 students at Ormiston Bushfield Academy in Peterborough file in, the damp weather mirroring their apparent lack of enthusiasm. They're about to tackle Macbeth, but instead of passively reading lines, they're plunged into an RSC-led workshop designed to unlock the play's power.
The initial quiet is broken by a playful warm-up – a rehearsal-style game of "pass the click [of fingers]." Soon, the students are on their feet, working in pairs and delivering some of Shakespeare's most famous lines with surprising energy. The focus? Act 1, scene 7: the crucial moment where Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into murdering King Duncan.
Suddenly, the classroom echoes with the chilling question, "Art thou afeard...?" followed by the stark brutality of "I have given suck..." Students throw themselves into Lady Macbeth's dark pronouncements, like “plucked my nipple” and “boneless gums,” without a hint of self-consciousness. Paul Ainsworth, the RSC's Young Theatre Makers Developer, observes with delight, "Generally, we are all terrified of Shakespeare. But as soon as we start working actively on the text, exploring it as a play rather than a piece of literature, it opens it up to young people."
Here's the game-changer: The RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, launching officially, is an online platform providing teachers and students with over 2,000 resources, including video excerpts from RSC rehearsals and past productions, plus activity-packed lesson plans. And the best part? It's completely free for all state schools in the UK. The curriculum champions the RSC’s rehearsal-based teaching approach – an approach refined in classrooms worldwide – to fundamentally change how Shakespeare is studied. Instead of dry, rote reading, Shakespeare's plays become living, breathing texts meant for performance. Macbeth is the first play to be rolled out, with Romeo and Juliet scheduled for early 2026, followed by two more plays each academic year.
“The RSC can’t get actors into every school in the country,” explains Adjoa Andoh (of Bridgerton fame), a leading figure at the RSC. “So this is a way of getting Shakespeare – a living, breathing thing – into schools to excite kids.”
But here's where it gets controversial... Some argue that focusing solely on performance might detract from the deeper literary analysis and understanding of Shakespeare's poetic language and historical context. Is it possible to strike a balance between engaging students through performance and ensuring they grasp the full depth of the plays?
For some students, like 15-year-old Charlie, who typically prefers rap to Shakespeare, the RSC approach is a welcome change. “I’m not usually a performer,” he admits, “But it was a nice break, doing something different.” Fourteen-year-old Kieran echoes this sentiment: “I really enjoyed it. I think some people don’t like Shakespeare because they don’t understand immediately what a lot of it means, but if you listen to it a little bit, even if you don’t fully understand it, you can grasp what’s going on.” And this is the part most people miss... Understanding doesn't always come before enjoyment. Sometimes, experiencing the play firsthand can unlock understanding in a way that simply reading it never could.
David Tennant, renowned for both his role as Dr. Who and his critically acclaimed Shakespearean performances (including a recent five-star Macbeth), wholeheartedly supports the curriculum. “Many young people’s first experience of Shakespeare is in a classroom,” he points out. “The lucky ones might have a brilliant teacher who can bring it to life, but many find themselves inexplicably mouthing words that make little sense to you at the age of 14. Shakespeare should be experienced, engaged with, and performed, not just read from a page.”
Judi Dench, a Shakespearean icon who has embodied nearly all of Shakespeare's major female roles, believes his plays remain eternally relevant. As she told the Guardian, “All I ever wanted to do was play Shakespeare, nothing else.” Dench emphasizes the collaborative and exploratory nature of bringing Shakespeare to life: “In the rehearsal room, we don’t have all the answers on day one; instead, we explore the play and its language, peeling back its layers and playing with different interpretations to find a way of telling the story for today.”
Dench concludes, “The Shakespeare curriculum will bring the spirit of collaboration, inquiry, and discovery from the rehearsal room into classrooms up and down the country, inspiring and engaging young minds.”
So, will the RSC's new curriculum succeed in banishing Shakespearean boredom from UK classrooms? Will it truly unlock the Bard's timeless appeal for a new generation? And perhaps most importantly, is performance the only way to truly connect with Shakespeare, or is there still value in a more traditional, text-based approach? Share your thoughts in the comments below! We'd love to hear your perspective.
