The inspiration for using Shakespeare to deliver the PSHE curriculum is the belief that drama activities help to raise young peoples’ social and emotional awareness. Drama can increase pupils’ motivation and effort and can be used to help pupils acquire new knowledge or to challenge previously held beliefs and ideas.
Through theatre, pupils are allowed to try out other roles and express a range of thoughts and feelings. Within a performance they can experiment with and further explore their understanding of the world around them.
Naturally Shakespeare provides a rich assortment of complex characters, intriguing situations and imaginative dilemmas. Shake Up Theatre delivers workshops that explore relationship themes and then links these with issues that are relevant to young people today.
By taking Shakespeare outside of the English classroom, pupils can begin to understand why Shakespeare is still studied at Key Stage 3, GCSE and A- Level. They will begin to see that the central characters and plots can still have relevance today.
