Co-created with HMDT Music in 2014, the Creative Education Trust Shakespeare festival invites students from across our secondary schools to engage with the language of the Bard. In 30-minute productions, directed by school staff and designed by teams of students, our performers create inventive worlds to reimagine these familiar stories. This year almost 300 pupils participated in the project, with 170 of those taking to the stage across two days.

This year we saw productions of The Taming of The Shrew, by both Caister Academy and The Hart School, updated to fervently argue for gender equality.

Ash Green School took us to a dystopian future for Macbeth, and Lynn Grove Academy made King Lear raw, violent, and stylish. 

Magic was created by Weavers Academy, bringing a steampunk aesthetic into the fairy bower for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ellis Guilford School's Romeo and Juliet used colour to separate the warring families.

 The Bulwell Academy's Hamlet was stripped back, for the audience to focus on the storytelling, as Thistley Hough Academy took Much Ado About Nothing to university for a vibrant modern take on the story.

Our hosts, Abbeyfield School, took The Merchant of Vencice to the carnival, with masks packed with symbolism for each character, whilst Wrenn School's The Tempest saw spirits come to life in shimmering airy capes.

At Creative Education Trust, we believe it's important to support our students to connect their learning and skills with life beyond the classroom. This project gives every participant the opportunity to work with a theatre professional; actor Ryan Early provides a voice and text workshop for our performers and theatre designer Mark Friend works with our student design teams, helping them realise their director's vision. 

Whether our pupils go into the performing arts or not, we hope that participating in our Shakespeare Festival has given them confidence, teamwork skills, and great pleasure.

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This is just one of many co-curricular opportunities offered to pupils in Creative Education Trust schools. Find out about our other cross-Trust enrichment activities.