Overview

Day 1: Discovering Shakespeare

Morning: Travel to the West Midlands by coach. Students will enjoy a packed lunch during the journey.

Afternoon: Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Bespoke Shakespeare Workshops
At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, students will participate in an immersive, bespoke workshop in the Clore Learning Centre. Delivered by an RSC Associate Learning Practitioner, the session will incorporate techniques used by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), helping students unlock the potential of Shakespeare’s language through interactive and creative methods.

• Key Stage 2: Playful activities and performances to explore plot, characters, and language, boosting comprehension and vocabulary.
• Key Stage 3: Practical ensemble work focusing on communication skills, formal techniques in drama, and performance scripts.
• Key Stage 4: Textual analysis of themes, characters, and structure, alongside performance techniques tailored to English and Drama exams.
• Key Stage 5: Advanced exploration of rehearsal room approaches, deep textual analysis, and staging key moments in the RSC style.

Evening: Check-in at accommodation, followed by a delicious dinner catering to your student’s dietary requirements. Then, get ready for an evening of entertainment at the Birmingham Rep Theatre!

Evening Theatre Activity: Birmingham Rep Theatre

After dinner, students will head to the Birmingham Rep Theatre to watch a live performance. The show will be selected based on age appropriateness, providing students with a fantastic opportunity to experience live theatre in a professional setting.

Day 2: Exploring Shakespeare’s Legacy

Morning: Shakespeare’s Birthplace
Begin the day with a visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace where students will experience an engaging introduction to Shakespeare’s life and legacy. The Birthplace offers a range of interactive activities tailored to different Key Stages.

• Key Stage 1: William on the Farm workshop, where students explore Shakespeare’s world by stepping back in time to his grandparents’ Tudor farm. They will participate in interactive storytelling, meet farm animals, and take part in fun Tudor games and dances.
• Key Stage 2: Getting to Know Will workshop, allowing students to learn about Shakespeare’s life in Warwickshire and the historical context of his works. They will also have the chance to explore his plays through dynamic drama activities, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Macbeth.
• Key Stage 3-4: Shakespeare’s World interactive session where students gain deeper insight into the life and works of Shakespeare. This session includes historical context, discussions about Shakespeare’s enduring legacy, and interactive elements that encourage analysis of his plays in the modern world.

Lunch: Enjoy a packed lunch at the Birthplace café garden or in designated picnic areas, offering students a chance to unwind and discuss their morning adventures.

Afternoon: Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall
Students will experience Shakespeare’s education and a recreation of a Tudor classroom.

• Key Stage 1: Introduction to learning and education in Shakespeare’s time through a fun Tudor classroom experience.
• Key Stage 2: Explore how Shakespeare’s education influenced his writing and ideas through interactive lessons.
• Key Stage 3: Discuss the pedagogical methods of the time and their role in shaping Shakespeare’s creativity.
• Key Stage 4: Examine the connection between education and creativity, analyzing how formal schooling contributed to Shakespeare’s success.

Evening: Dinner Out at a Local Restaurant
For a memorable finale, students will enjoy a delicious meal at a local restaurant in Birmingham. The dinner will be a relaxing social event, where students can share their favourite moments from the trip.

Return to Accommodation: Students will return to their accommodation after dinner to pack and get ready for the journey back the next day.

Day 3: Theatre and Creative Expression

Morning: Black Country Living Museum Students will travel by coach to the Black Country Living Museum, an open-air museum offering an immersive historical experience. This interactive visit is a fantastic way for students to engage in storytelling, role-play, and historical exploration, tying in well with their studies of English and Drama.

• Key Stage 1: Explore historical toys and traditional street games, linking them to the language of the past. Students will engage in storytelling and role-playing to enhance their communication skills.
• Key Stage 2: Participate in activities like the “Houses & Homes” exploration, where students compare homes from the past with modern ones, helping them understand narrative structure and character development in a historical context.
• Key Stage 3: Engage with thematic activities focused on the lives of children in the past, role-playing daily life and historical figures. This encourages students to use language and expression as they embody characters from the past.
• Key Stage 4: Focus on historical storytelling and role-playing historical characters, using language to portray and reflect on the past in a way that links directly to their Drama and English studies. This experience will deepen their understanding of narrative techniques, such as dialogue and monologue, in historical contexts.

Lunch: After an enriching morning of historical exploration, students will enjoy a packed lunch at the museum’s designated area or café, giving them time to relax and reflect on the morning’s activities.

Afternoon: Board the coach for the journey back to school. As students travel, they can reflect on their experiences from the trip, with time for a final group discussion about their favourite moments, the performances, and their personal highlights from the past few days.