Cheek By Jowl Sets Free Workshop Programme For Schools

Cheek by Jowl today announces a new expansion to its existing Education Programme by offering free visiting Measure for Measure/ Shakespeare workshops to UK schools - this has been made possible by a generous grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation. This continues the company's commitment to building the theatregoers and theatre practitioners of tomorrow.

Artistic Director Declan Donnellan said today, "In this Shakespeare anniversary year, we are delighted to add to our existing Measure for Measure education project the offer of free workshops in UK schools. It's fantastic how we're now able to reach out to younger audiences digitally, but where possible it's still important to get out into schools and colleges and work with tomorrow's young actors and directors on the ground."

The workshops will be led by the Company's Assistant Director Marcus Roche, throughout the summer and autumn terms 2016. These workshops will seek to advance AS/A Level students' understanding of how Cheek by Jowl as a 21st Century theatre practitioner approaches Shakespearean texts, as well as developing students' own skills as performers, designers, and directors.

These new workshops follow the recent successful launch of the company's free Measure for Measure screenings in schools and colleges (www.cheekbyjowl.com/education.php) - which has so far attracted over 50 educational institutions.

As Cheek by Jowl's Measure for Measure is a Russian-language co-production with Moscow's prestigious Pushkin Theatre, the workshop offers students a unique insight into how Shakespeare is approached in another language, Shakespeare's global legacy, and how Shakespeare is used to discuss modern global themes in the 21st Century.

In line with all major AS/A Level Drama and Theatre exam specifications, Cheek by Jowl visiting workshops will guide students through a key extract of Cheek by Jowl's Measure for Measure, assessing the company's approach and interpretation of the text, style of performance and design, and how the extract is placed within the context of the whole play; as well as provide students with stimuli for the devising components of AS/A Level Drama and Theatre through analysing the themes of Measure for Measure and the established practices and methodologies of Cheek by Jowl Theatre Company.

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