Romeo & Juliet - Finding the Will

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

It’s Not Just about Acting

There are many unsung heroes in a production at whatever level. At St Botolph’s Primary, Peterborough in 2024, some fabulous props were created including a quite spectacular severed head of MACBETH! Check out these posters and programmes too, not to mention the backdrop!

4 Amazing Ways to get through January!

So that’s how we got through long January. 4 different plays, 12 workshops, 1 Project Week and just over 400 young people. Not a bad start to the year eh?

1770 children love Shakespeare – true or false?

This year Finding the Will has worked with 1770 children introducing them to five of Shakespeare’s best known plays.

5 Reasons Why Drama in Schools Should Matter

Why does drama in schools, especially Primary Schools, matter?
When you start to list the immediate benefits (never mind the long term ones), you quickly find that luxury turns into necessity.

Bet you’ve never had a welcome like this!

“Welcome to my office.” These were the words that greeted me when I fell out of a plane at 15000ft!

Do children really enjoy Shakespeare?

“Do children really enjoy Shakespeare?” is a question I am often asked. This month Finding the Will will be working with just over 500 children aged between 4 and 11. Judging by the gasps, laughter and forests of hands shooting up to volunteer to play characters from the 300 children we have worked with so far in June, I’d say the answer is a resounding “Yes”! Joseph Cash Primary, Coventry I began the month visiting this lovely school in Coventry. The motto here is ‘Together We Laugh, Together We Learn’. I love this! Actually, it’s pretty much the ethos of Finding the Will and our approach to Shakespeare. You might think there is little opportunity for laughter in MACBETH but you’d be wrong. When King Duncan’s favourite dish is a Big Mac provided by Macbeth himself, it’s very funny (fair enough, you might have to be there to fully appreciate this). Alongside the laughter, the children came up with some really thoughtful answers. What DOES the witches’ riddle ‘Lesser than Macbeth and greater’ actually mean? How about ‘Lesser in rank but greater in person’? Now that’s clever and one of the best answers I’ve ever heard to this conundrum, And talking of witches, what about ‘Baby’s teeth’ as an extra ingredient in the witches’ brew? Do children really enjoy Shakespeare? You bet! With thanks to Ms Nettey for inviting us in for the first time to work with Y6. Westende Junior, Wokingham Day One The next day, Nick and I set off for Wokingham and our sixth annual visit to Westende Junior. At this busy two form entry school, we work with all four year groups in KS2 (that’s 240 children) and each year does a different play. This time we began with Y6 and MACBETH. Perhaps it was something in the June air but, once again, the witches’ brew threw up some creepy, if not exactly delicious, extra ingredients: ‘3 fingers from a newborn’ and ‘koala’s liver’. No, I wouldn’t want to meet this lot on a blasted heath either…..As it was the last workshop with this particular year group (over the years they’ve done THE TEMPEST, ROMEO & JULIET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM with us), we spoke about them moving on to secondary school as Shakespeare Ambassadors. What will they say when they meet people who say ‘Shakespeare’s so boring!’? Answer from a Y6 boy near to me “Shakespeare’s cool, not boring”. Next we worked with Y3 on A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. This was, of course, their first experience with us and, possibly, the works of Shakespeare. So how did these children enjoy it? Well if I said to you that the wedding outfits for Theseus and Hippolyta are going to be an orange cloak for Theseus and a long red dress for Hippolyta (with orange flowers in her hair), you’ll understand that they soon got really into it. Faced with Hermia’s dilemma of whether to obey or disobey her father and the law of Athens (potentially risking her life), here is one imaginative solution: “I’d become a nun, then run away from the nunnery, kidnap Lysander and poison my father” I mean it’s a whole different play – a rather wonderful spin-off! Day Two Day 2 at Westende was spent in Italy. Starting with Y4 in Verona, we entered the world of ROMEO & JULIET. More life-changing dilemmas for the children to face. Firstly the violence on the streets of Verona – how do you react? A mixture of terror and enjoyment encapsulated by one citizen, “It’s exciting but I want it to stop”. And if you were Friar Laurence, would you risk marrying Romeo to Juliet or is it simply asking for trouble? This is a tricky one. A considered answer was “No I wouldn’t do it, but then he’s my friend, so let me have some time to think about this”. We really should ask children what to do more often. Finally, we made it to Milan with Y5 and THE TEMPEST. These children did ROMEO & JULIET with us last year, so it was interesting to watch them when we asked them to stand for a Caliban versus Prospero argument. The first thing some of them did was to bite their thumbs. I mean if you take nothing else away as a long term memory, you might as well remember a good old Italian insult! Perhaps as a result of last year too, when it came to Ferdinand and Miranda falling for each other, there was far less fuss than usual. At the end, the whole company (including the Royal Table Clearer, the Royal Laundress and the Royal Body Guard) got back on board the Good Ship Bernadette of Wales to sail back to Italy. As Caliban waved goodbye on the cliff, everyone joined in with “This Island’s Mine!” to finish off two lovely days. A huge thank you to Miss Ogilvie for liaising with me to organise such a special couple of days. Conclusion So, do children really enjoy Shakespeare? Oh yeah! Why else would children come up to you after a workshop and ask “Which play are we doing next year?” In the next couple of weeks Nick and I are running solo A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Interactive Workshops in Cheshire and Brighton respectively. Then Richard and I are heading for Lincolnshire to a fabulous school to run a Project Week on THE TEMPEST. This gorgeous little primary school has around 90 pupils and they are all going to be involved. When I say ‘all’ I mean ALL!! Reception and KS1 as well as KS2 children will each have solo lines to say. So I’ll report back on how the Reception children stole the show in a couple of weeks. For now then, lastly, but certainly not least, please welcome our newest Patron, the one and only renowned Children’s Illustrator (Winnie the Witch, Winnie and Wilbur)……kOrky Paul! We are delighted to have him on board!

Tag: Romeo & Juliet