Gwent Theatre is proud to present Slings and Arrows – a new play by Charles Way. Aimed at 9 to 13 year olds, this dark comedy introduces the major themes of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s greatest play.
Hamlet for pupils in years 5 - 8 …you must be joking! No, we're deadly serious. Shakespeare based his play on a folktale which was well known by children of his time, Ashboy, with its similarities to the Cinderella story. Gwent Theatre has commissioned the highly successful award-winning playwright Charles Way to re-work the themes of Shakespeare's drama for young audiences. This is not just a re-telling of the story but a close look at the ideas of deceit, truth and reality. The company has been working in schools with children exploring their ideas to include within the performance.
To complement the performance we are offering a Teachers’ Preview Training session. Scheduled to take place at The Drama Centre in Abergavenny on Thursday 22 April from 9.30am to 1pm, this is a unique opportunity for teachers to work more closely with the company and see the production in the rehearsal stage. It will allow you the opportunity to talk about the work, judge the suitability of the piece for age group and to gain insight into how the performance can fit into your curriculum needs. We are also developing the session into a training opportunity whereby our Education Officer will run a workshop showing how the stimulus of the play can be developed in the classroom. Practical teaching advice will be given and the resource pack will be available and explained.
Do come along and make your voice heard; we always take account of our 'customer' requirements. This is a superb (and free!) opportunity for useful INSET which could benefit the whole school.
Our Education Pack- free on booking - is an interactive resource for teachers and pupils. It comes filled with visual stimuli, sound recordings, background material and classroom activities which will enhance the educational experience of the children and afford opportunities for a full range of cross-curricular activities. It is both thought provoking and great fun!
For a minimal charge of £2.50 per pupil we can offer
Ha place on the Teachers’ Preview Trainingsession at the Drama Centre in Abergavenny on 22 April facilitated by Paul Gibbins
Ha Performance for up to 100 pupils
HPost Performance Discussion and
Hthe Education Pack
Performances will last for approximately 1½ hours, including the discussion session.
We will be touring this new production to schools throughout Gwent from 4 May to 9 July 2010 and are thrilled to be able to offer your pupils the opportunity to find out for themselves whether Hamlet is really mad, or just pretending…. Whether the truth will out… A performance at your school would not only cover a host of curriculum areas but would act as a wonderfully enjoyable introduction to one of the cornerstones of European literature.
Please use the enclosed booking form to let us know how many pupils you wish to see the show (up to a maximum of 100) and to confirm attendance at the Preview Training session. Chris Miller will then be in touch with you to find out about any special requirements you or your pupils may have, to provide any further information you may require and to finalise suitable performance dates and times.
For those schools who wish further to develop their pupils' understanding of Shakespeare and in particular Hamlet, we can visit your school with a Workshop based on the play, its origins and Shakespeare's theatre. A unique opportunity for children to explore a Shakespeare text interactively, this will generate many other classroom activities for the future. Demand for such workshops is extremely high, so we will have to respond to requests on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to secure a place please contact us as soon as possible, using the attached form. The session will last just over an hour and is intended for no more than thirty pupils. The charge is £150
We look forward to seeing you and your pupils
Best wishes
Rachel Dominy
General Manager
“Fantastic service: long may it continue. Thank you.”