Shakespeare Week – Shakespeare Week is a national annual celebration giving opportunities for enriching and enjoyable early experiences of Shakespeare. It is one of the pathways to Shakespeare provided by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for people of all ages and stages of interest.

Shakespeare’s work at Blackpool Grand – Blackpool Grand Theatre’s 20 Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Associate schools return to business as usual. It was a challenge but also great to be able to stay connected digitally during lockdown but being back together for face-to-face teacher training days has been joyous for the Creative Development team. This community of practice, that we hold so dearly, is all about ‘learning together’, sharing ideas, and not to be underestimated, the power of having a good giggle together.

The RSC Associate Schools came together last week to put on four spectacular shows of Much Ado About Nothing. An incredible 353 children trod the boards, and all performed with confidence and accomplished storytelling skills.

Our next challenge is for the 40 strong Shakespeare Ambassadors group to co-plan and produces the next academic year of our Associate Schools program. The last time we put them in charge we ended up galivanting in yellow gartered stockings on the Comedy Carpet!

We are also delighted to have been invited to perform in the National Playmaking Festival in Stratford Upon Avon in July with a Blackpool ensemble of performers from all our schools.

Our Grand Theatre Shakespeare Nation group (formed in February 2019) went into community venues to recruit Blackpool hoteliers, Betterstart parents, Friends of Stanley Park, community choir members, and LGBTQ+ Liberty Churchgoers. During Valentine’s week, the theatre offered taster theatrical experiences linked to Romeo & Juliet and our co-production of Romance Retold performed in June 2019.

During lockdown 1.0 we continued to stay connected and uplifted ourselves creating the critically acclaimed film Once More Unto the Beach. With restrictions easing in the Summer of 2021, we met outdoors to rehearse and perform our socially distanced, shopfront Shakespeare production, The Comedy Carpet of Errors.  We still have representation from all the initial groups and are delighted to be performing as part of The Rebellion on the main Royal Shakespeare theatre stage this season.

Our latest partnership project is 37 Plays. A chance to celebrate the publishing of the first folio of Shakespeare’s plays 400-years ago. We aim to encourage people of all ages, across the Northwest to try their hand at playwriting for fun or to enter the RSC competition with, you’ve guessed it, 37 winning plays! We will be working closely with our Associate schools to link them up with local and national playwriters. There will also be open workshops on offers for adult participants.

Access Shakespeare Week website – Where you can access hundreds of free resources including online workshops, storytellings, and cross-curricular resources linked to Shakespeare’s works, life, and times on this website. Our wonderful creative teaching resources are available year-round.

Lead Associate School – Our Lady of the Assumption

Primary Schools (10); Our Lady Star of the Sea, Mereside, St John Vianney, Boundary, Anchorsholme, St Johns, Poulton,  St Peters, Royles Brook .Charles Saer.

SEN Schools (3); Red Marsh, Highfurlong, Park Community Academy.

Secondary Schools (5); St Mary’s, Highfield, South Shore Academy, Montgomery, Aspire, St. Bede’s.

Higher Education and Further Education (1); Blackpool And Fylde College.