RSC releases highlights of #RSCHomeworkHelp initiative

As part of the campaign, David Tennant, responded to a question about his favourite Hamlet soliloquy; actor, director and writer Adjoa Andoh discussed  some of the ways in which Shakespeare can speak to us today, as we navigate how to live in the world amidst the global pandemic, Black Lives Matter and environmental emergencies; Paapa Essiedu gave students a masterclass in making characters their own; star of the Harry Potter films David Bradley, shared his tips about how to get into theatre; and RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran gave insights into the downfall of Richard II and the complex morality of Measure for Measure.

From questions about acting and directing to the life and times of Shakespeare, his comedies, histories and tragedies, topics covered as part of Homework Help have been incredibly diverse; from ‘Did Shakespeare have a happy childhood? to ‘Was Richard III truly villainous’, ‘Why are genders reversed in productions and, does it work?, ‘Are female characters dressed as boys ever convincing?’,‘If Julius Caesar was a radio play, how would you stage the assassination scene?’, ‘Why does Romeo make such terrible decisions?’, ‘Did Shakespeare write in posh or colloquial English?’, ‘Why should students study Macbeth?, ‘Which sister is in King Lear is worse, Goneril or Regan?’, ‘Did Shakespeare ever visit Scotland’, ‘Why was he obsessed with fairies’ and ‘Was William Shakespeare really a woman?’

Since launching in May 2020, the #RSCHomeworkHelp initiative has received over five hundred submissions from young people studying Shakespeare in the UK and around the world from Australia to New York, Indianapolis and Tanzania.

Furthermore, since the closure of UK schools on 23 March 2020:

• The RSC's education website the Shakespeare Learning Zone has received over 1 million views, an increase of 300% in comparison to the same period last year. 
• David Tennant’s video response to the RSC ‘Homework Help’ campaign received a total of 89k views
• 33,000 young people have accessed the RSC’s ‘Live Lesson’ of Macbeth directed by Polly Findlay and featuring Christopher Eccleston
• The RSC Education pages have received over 8.5K pageviews with downloadable Teachers Packs and a newly launched programme of 15-minute Activity Toolkits for KS3 pupils including digital activities from education partner, Adobe.
• Over 280,000 unique users have accessed the RSC’s daily BBC Bitesize Shakespeare Lessons for KS3 & 4. In the last two weeks of June there were a total of 38,000 users to all RSC lessons (both Year 10 and KS3)

The RSC has a number of existing resources that can be used to support learning in school or at home, including:

• Shakespeare Learning Zone – games, videos, timelines, character, plot summaries and more help to unlock the plays rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone
• Live Lessons – The RSC’s Live Lessons on Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet are available to watch and take part in at any time. There are also a number of Primary and Secondary lessons co-produced by the RSC and the BBC that can be watched at any time.
• The RSC YouTube channel contains a selection of educational videos including introductions to language terms such as iambic pentameter, actor-led tutorials exploring the techniques they use to get to grips with a text and full online performances including Tim Crouch’s I, Cinna.
• Teacher resources are free to download from the RSC website including teacher packs by play and Key Stage.
• Home-educators can also access up to seventeen RSC productions in partnership with Digital Theatre+ alongside supporting resources including backstage insights, practitioner interviews, written analysis and over 450+ productions of the world’s finest theatre.

You can view all clips from #RSCHomeworkHelp here: https://www.rsc.org.uk/education/about-rsc-education/home-learning-with-the-rsc/homework-help