SSF for Secondary Schools

The Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) is an inclusive, non-competitive festival. Four schools a night perform 30-minute plays in their local professional theatre. This is our 13th annual Festival, and promises to be the biggest and best yet.

We challenge the preconception that studying Shakespeare is difficult or dull through a combination of teacher training, workshops and student performance in a professional theatre. We provide the scripts, resources, training and framework you need to direct Shakespeare in a professional theatre.

SSF is not a competition; we focus on the enrichment of the individuals involved and value the rehearsal process as well as the end performance.

It costs SSF £1600 per school to run the Festival, each school pays £730 (+VAT) and we raise the rest.

The SSF Package:

Scripts and Resources:
21 abridged Shakespeare plays as well as rehearsal resources to take your production from the page to the stage.

Workshop for Teacher Directors:
SSF is for all teachers regardless of their experience in directing. The CPD day with our partners, the National Theatre, focuses on:
-text, voice and staging
-exercises for rehearsal and the classroom
-approaches to directing for student learning and clear performance
-sharing feedback and advice

Workshop for Casts:
Two schools come together to gain performance skills from theatre professionals. The cast workshop includes confidence building, ensemble skills, physical theatre techniques and voice techniques.

Professional Performance Day:
Each school has a half day technical and dress rehearsal with professional technicians before performing on a professional stage alongside 3 other local schools in a celebratory finale to the Festival.

Additional Benefits:
- Curriculum Links: SSF can contribute to GCSE, A-Level, BTEC, Arts Mark and Arts Award accreditations and is recommended by OCR, AQA and Edexcel.
- Developing Students: Students are challenged to behave like professionals, from grappling with Shakespeare’s language to team work and discipline. Teacher Directors report improved confidence and literacy as well as commending the vocational insight of working with professionals.