Royal Shakespeare Company
We are incredibly proud to be a Royal Shakespeare Company Associate Regional Theatre Partner. This means we are committed and dedicated to engaging young people and adults in the work of Shakespeare. This can range from school sessions, to performances, to workshops to training for teachers and young people – the list goes on. Below is a small breakdown of some of the exceptional work we do with the amazing team at the RSC.
For more information: https://www.rsc.org.uk/learn/partnerships/partner-theatres
Silhouette Shakespeare sessions
We run Shakespeare sessions every week for young people in Year 7 and above. We take a play and spend 8 weeks workshopping the narrative and the characters and every young person gets a chance to play every part. During these workshops, we all get a sense of what we would like OUR version of this play to be and why.
We then create an edit of the play and spend three weeks going through the edit so that we understand exactly what the play is about. The text is key! We then set about casting the production and we often have more than one cast so that everyone gets an opportunity to work on the play.
We allocate Directors, Assistant directors and our Leadership Team organise all the lighting, sound, costumes, front of house and backstage. Young People taking pivotal roles in our productions is essential. The whole team works together to create the production and we work with a range of practitioners to make this happen.
We then perform the production over a week in a venue of our choosing. This can be in our studio, on tour or in other venues within and outside of Northampton. These productions usually sell out as we have a history of creating a high standard of work and an audience that enjoys the way we tackle Shakespeare’s plays.
The year always finishes off with a reflection session where we look at things to celebrate, things to change and what is next. Review – reflect and improve!
RSC Next generation
We work closely with the RSC on their Next Gen programme. We have young people that audition for Next Gen Act and we have been very lucky to have 6 young people that have been part of this programme. They have gone on to perform in a range of productions in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Swan, The Other Place and the Holloway Garden Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon.
We also attend the Next gen Backstage on a yearly basis where our young people spend two days developing their knowledge and skills in lighting, sound, front of house, costume, props and set design, backstage management, and Marketing. These young people then use these skills on all the productions that happen at Silhouette and form part of our Leadership Team who are allocated these responsibilities.
We are involved in the Next Gen Direct programme and our young people attend a residential every year where they develop their Directing skills. They then come back into Silhouette and are allocated production to Direct, or assistant direct, throughout the year. For us, the key is to follow up and follow through so that our young people get a chance to apply their skills in a real-life context.
For more information:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/learn/young-people/next-generation
Associate Schools Programme
We love working with our Associate schools! The programme means that we get a chance to support in the training of teachers, the development of the curriculum, the engagement with Shakespeare, the performance of Shakespeare and the love of storytelling and Oracy. Every year these schools work with us to provide a rich experience for their young people. We currently support the 14 schools in the Northampton Academy Trust, Manor Secondary School, Kingsthorpe Secondary School and The Northampton Academy.
For more information:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/learn/associate-schools-programme
Schools Programme
We have a strong relationship with a range of schools. Every year the schools decide on the text that they would like to cover, and we plan, manage, deliver and evaluate the project. This usually starts with a training session for the staff involved and a sharing of the text, the narrative, the main themes and the characters. We then go into schools and work in classes delivering Drama sessions, Dance Sessions, Songwriting and Singing sessions based on the play. The young people then rehearse this work and finally get a chance to perform to others. This is a highly successful programme, and we love working with these schools to bring a creative approach to Shakespeare’s texts. A huge thank you to Preston Hedges Academy Trust, Nene Education Academy Trust, Kirby Muxloe Primary, Hawthorn Community Primary, Lime Academy Waterfall and all the other schools that we work with.
First Encounters
Silhouette is committed to bringing Shakespeare to new audiences and every year we host a First Encounters production in our space. This is an open invite to the community to come and watch a professional performance by the RSC within their space. In years past our young people have been involved in the performance and have even gone to the Swan Theatre to perform on the main stage. This First Encounter with Shakespeare has had a huge impact on the engagement within our community.
For more information:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/first-encounters-romeo-and-juliet
https://www.rsc.org.uk/first-encounters-twelfth-night
If you would like to work with us on a Shakespeare-based project then please just email us at admin@silyt.com and we can organise a visit and a discussion on how we can support you.