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What’s the best way to entertain 450 children?

‘To entertain’ is defined in the Collins English Dictionary as follows: ‘Receive as a guest; amuse, divert, maintain; consider favourably, take into consideration, cherish.’ And I can safely say that, on that basis, Fay, Richard and I have most definitely entertained 450 children during June. Perhaps, more to the point, I should say they have entertained us! The common denominator being Shakespeare. Below are just a few examples of how we were amused and diverted. Westende Junior, Wokingham We began the month at Westende Junior – our sixth annual visit to this fantastic school. As always we worked with the whole of KS2 over two days. Each Year Group tackled a different play. Here’s just a flavour of the entertainment. Y3 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream What we really noticed was how articulate some of the children were – amazing vocabulary and understanding for seven and eight year olds. When Hermia entered the scene to find both Demetrius and Lysander (her boyfriend, possibly ex at this point) declaring their love to her best friend Helena, we asked “How do you think Hermia might be feeling right now?” The answers were not the usual ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘unhappy’ but….“betrayed”, “furious”, “destroyed”. Good work Y3! Y4 – Romeo & Juliet Moving up a year to the eight and nine year olds, we went to Italy and the very grown up themes in Romeo & Juliet. Again we got some great vocabulary (“heartbroken”, “distraught”) and some really imaginative responses. The roving reporter asked “What do you do when you see fighting on the streets of Verona?” The reply “I sit in the pizzeria and watch the entertainment!” I’m tempted to say, you couldn’t make it up, but actually they did and we, at Finding the Will, absolutely love it! Y5 – The Tempest We set sail on The Good Ship Peaceful Ship (always fun getting your tongue round names like that first thing in the morning!). However, it was up to ten year old Trinculo to entertain the King which he did in style (a Trinculo jig which amused us if not King Alonso). Actually King Alonso was most entertained by a joke provided by one of his sailors: “Knock, Knock! Who’s there? Europe. Europe Who? Rude!” (Well you can see why that raised a smile I suppose). With the King laughing at this point in the voyage, he didn’t need the services of the Royal Therapist. Oh were you not aware of that particular Shakespeare character? (Spoiler Alert – more Finding the Will inspired pure imagination). Y6 – Macbeth To complete the quartet of plays (all of which Y6 has done with Finding the Will) we went to Scotland for to see Macbeth. Here we were royally entertained with two cracking feasts! To begin with the last supper for King Duncan (though he didn’t know that at the time of course) included pheasant, beer and sushi. I mean if he really consumed all that, he might have saved Macbeth and Lady Macbeth a job, and died of natural causes! No wonder the new King Macbeth and Queen decided to stick to the far more traditional Chinese Stir Fry and Chocolate Fondue. Y6 now go on as Shakespeare Ambassadors with the knowledge of four plays and the courage to tell anyone who says ‘Shakespeare’s boring’ that they are “Wrong and here’s why!…….” Collingbourne Primary, Wiltshire After eight years, Finding the Will returned to Collingbourne Primary in Wiltshire. This small rural village school is in a delightful setting, surrounded by fields and nearby Salisbury Plain. Here, we worked with the whole school from Reception right through to Y6 on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. Over the course of four days, the four wildlife classes (Foxes, Hedgehogs, Otters and Kingfishers) learned lines, moves and (in some cases) dance moves and performed to a packed house on Friday afternoon. For some, this was a real learning curve. Being pushed well out of your comfort zone is never easy. However, tremendous effort was put in by everyone throughout the week and that’s what Finding the Will Project Weeks are all about. The final performance is the goal, the achievement if you like, but the work and the commitment that the children give during the week, is the most important aspect of what we do. So for those whose nerves got the better of them on the day, don’t worry, we know what you did during the week! And for those who covered at the very last minute, thank you. 4-11 year olds performing Shakespeare in 4 days is no mean feat. When asked what the response would be to the assertion that ‘Shakespeare is boring’, a young Kingfisher (Y5/6) said “I’d say, think again”. Our work here is done! Thanks to Mrs May and Mrs Phillips for getting back in touch and inviting us in once more. Barkston & Syston Primary, Lincolnshire Talking of 4-11 year olds performing Shakespeare in 4 days, Richard and I finished off June in style (and insane heat) at Barkston & Syston CE Primary, a gorgeous little school in Lincolnshire. This was our fourth visit in five years and this time we tackled the tragedy of ROMEO & JULIET. There were many entertaining moments here, not least the five year old Romeo & Juliet blowing kisses to each other after their secret wedding. You can always rely on the cute factor to steal the show! Yet again though, we saw some real effort going into some truly courageous performances. It takes guts to act out the iconic balcony scene at any age, but when you’re only eight years old……. And while I’m on the subject of the balcony, check out this incredible piece of portable scenery (Mrs Brown, you did not disappoint!) All 96 actors did an amazing job and that’s without taking into consideration the record-breaking temperature. Enormous thanks to Miss Lyon and every one of your exceptional members of staff. Not only did they drill the actors when they were not

How To Get Revenge (in 4 easy recipes)!

Revenge! We all know it’s a dish best served cold. However, Year 5 at St Michael’s Junior, Chelmsford – with whom we worked in January – has taken Malvolio’s Revenge to a whole new level! I was delighted to receive in the post a package of truly amazing pieces of work off the back of our Interactive TWELFTH NIGHT Workshops, and I felt I couldn’t simply file them away. It was difficult to pick just four of the extraordinary Recipes for Revenge because they were all so good. So dip into this short video for a taste of what it’s like to be 9 or 10 with revenge on your mind….. Huge thanks to Mrs Orton and Mr Archer for sharing this incredible work with me. St Botolph’s C of E Primary, Peterborough Honestly, you go years without a doing a TWELFTH NIGHT workshop and then 9 come along at once! After the 5 that we ran in January, 4 more came along in February starting with 2 at St Botolph’s C of E Primary in Peterborough to kick off a Project Week. And revenge was still on the menu! We are lucky enough to visit this lovely school every two years, each time bringing a different Project Week for Years 5&6 to get stuck into. From the tragedy of MACBETH 2 years ago, to the craziness of TWELFTH NIGHT, this really was the sublime to the ridiculous! As always, Fay and I began the week with the Interactive Workshop. To add to your collection of potential chat up lines (see last month’s blog for more sure fire hits!) I give you: “Your eyes are like fireworks!” And if that doesn’t float your boat, hang fire, there are more coming later! Following the workshops, we launched into 3 days of rehearsals before putting it all together on Friday morning. It’s always a little fraught when all 120 actors gather in the hall for the first time. There’s the handing out of props and ensuring everyone has all that they need. And then there are the unexpected absences…..It’s really disappointing for the actors when illness strikes and, after all their work, they are unable to be in school. This time we lost two Sir Toby Belches (too much cakes and ale?). However, some brave souls stepped into the breach and took over at the eleventh hour. That’s the joy of this work, it’s not all about Shakespeare, it’s more about teamwork, focus and raising levels of confidence and self-esteem. There were some terrific performances too. From a lounging, yellow-stockinged Malvolio and a stylish, frankly frightening, Lady Olivia, to servants and sailors who were always reliable and solid, the final performance was all we could have wished for. So take another bow Years 5 & 6 and travel safely on as Shakespeare Ambassadors. Huge thanks to Mr Joyce (our in-house DJ, to whom Fay and I are indebted), plus Miss Pickard and the Friends of St Botolph’s, without whom the week would not have been possible. Shellingford Primary, Oxfordshire I was last at Shellingford Primary two years ago, so it was a delight to be invited back. This is a small rural school where the mixed classes meant I could take the whole of KS2 through TWELFTH NIGHT in two workshops last week. The school does not shy away from Shakespeare as KS1 focuses on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and KS2 on MACBETH. So it was great fun to introduce them to this ‘unknown’ romp! The darker side of the play – the revenge on Malvolio for spoiling Sir Toby’s party which tips over into bullying – provoked some thoughtful discussion (to be continued in class possibly). Whilst initially we all thought it was hilarious and what he deserved, on further exploration, we concluded that perhaps it was a bit much. “He only spoiled a party after all”. The trouble is that once the Revenge truck is rolling, it just keeps gathering momentum. So when Malvolio yells at the end “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you!”, you find yourself secretly hoping that he does. With the question of how Malvolio might get his revenge ringing in their ears, one young imaginative mind suggested to me that Malvolio could murder Maria. I feel a sequel coming on – TWELFTH NIGHT 2 or perhaps THIRTEENTH NIGHT……. Finally, a couple more suggestions for your little book of useful chat up lines courtesy of Classes 3&4: “Your eyes sparkle like the sun” or “Your eyes are like pools of chocolate” (not bad eh?) Enormous thanks to Mrs Roberts and Mrs Ashdown for liaising with me – hope to see you again in another couple of years! Looking forward… Onward into March then and we are Essex-bound once more. Nick and I are heading back to Chelmsford to visit a school new to Finding the Will – St Cedd’s. We’ll be leading workshops on THE TEMPEST and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM there. Later in the month I am revisiting St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary in Birmingham to lead Years 5&6 through A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and MACBETH. So, a bit more revenge to play out in both locations but, as we all know, revenge makes the best drama! I’ll let you know what the Whirligig of Time brings in, next month!

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