As part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Associate Schools Program, that is run across Durham and Tyne and Wear, Year 7 students have recently taken part in a contemporary performance of Twelfth Night.

Participants were able to enjoy the full process from auditioning for roles and taking part in rehearsals, to helping with costume, music and lighting decisions. The play was performed alongside 11 other schools from the area as part of a regional playmaking festival that aims to bring Shakespeare to life and encourage young people to have the confidence to read, understand and perform his plays. This years festival also coincided with the 400-year anniversary of Shakespeare’s first folio being published.

All of the students involved were fantastic, overcoming their nerves and performing brilliantly in front of an audience of 200 people.