The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is to stream its eagerly awaited production of Richard II direct to schools in the UK this autumn.
Tickets for the RSC production, which stars former Doctor Who actor David Tennant as the flawed king, have already sold out.
But the play will be streamed direct to 1,000 UK schools on November 15 – reaching an estimated 60,000 youngsters in the process.
The five-act play will be accompanied by a studio link-up hosted by television presenter Konnie Huq.
Members of the creative team, including Gregory Doran, the RSC’s artistic director, and David Tennant himself, will be on hand to take part in a live online Q&A with students.
The RSC is also developing a package of online resources for the classroom – both in the lead up to the broadcast and for use as follow-up materials afterwards.
The play, which co-stars Nigel Lindsay, Michael Pennington and Oliver Ford, will be the first RSC production to play live at cinemas around the world.
The production, to be filmed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on November 13, will then be streamed – for free – to schools two days later.
Richard II is the first of three RSC Shakespeare plays to be filmed live during the coming year and is the start of an on-going initiative to make the RSC’s work available to a nationwide and global audience. Details of the next two plays will be announced in September.
“We want to bring the work we make in Stratford-upon-Avon to the widest possible audience,” explained Mr Doran. “Taking our productions live into cinemas and direct into schools is the next logical step.”
Places are limited so schools interested in signing up to have Richard II streamed direct to the classroom should register as soon as possible via the website at http://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/education/default.aspx
CAPTION: Who? David Tennant will be playing Richard II in the Royal Shakespeare Company production (Photography: Jillian Edelstein)