The Outreach and Access team partnered for the fourth time with the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (CSSF) host the Shakespeare Schools Festival at Magdalen College.
Four casts, each comprised of young people aged 14-16 from East Midlands state schools, spent months rehearsing abridged Shakespeare plays, with theatre facilitators from CSSF supporting their Teacher Directors throughout the process. The students then stayed at Magdalen in April of 2025 for two days, during which they had a taste of life as an undergraduate student before the final performances of their plays to a packed audience in the Auditorium.
In the run-up to the performance night, each cast received an engaging taster lecture or workshop on their play from Magdalen English Fellow Professor Gill Woods, a college tour and Q&A by current Magdalen undergraduate students, an interactive bookplate-printing and history session with Dr Alexy Karenowska, and a Shakespeare-focused drama workshop by Magdalen alumnus Sam Plumb.
Feedback from the students was very positive, and we are grateful to all staff involved from both Magdalen and CSSF. Special thanks go to the generous sponsor, Steven Parker, without whom the programme could not have taken place.
