This book tells the story of the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed and influential project to transform the teaching of Shakespeare in schools. It examines their approaches to making his plays more accessible, enjoyable and relevant to young people, describing the innovative classroom practices that the Company has pioneered and locating these within a clearly articulated theory of learning. It also provides evidence of their impact on children and young people's experience of Shakespeare, drawing upon original research as well as research commissioned by the RSC itself. Authoritative but highly readable, the book is relevant to anyone with an interest in the teaching of Shakespeare, and in how a major cultural organisation can have a real impact on the education of young people from a wide range of social backgrounds. It benefits from interviews with key policy makers and practitioners from within the RSC, including their legendary voice coach, Cicely Berry, and with internationally renowned figures such as the writer and academic, Jonathan Bate; the previous artistic director of the RSC, Michael Boyd; and the celebrated playwright, Tim Crouch.

Joe Winston is Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Education at the University of Warwick, UK. He has published widely in the field and was for ten years co-editor of the leading academic journal, Research in Drama Education. His book, Transforming the Teaching of Shakespeare with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was published by Bloomsbury in 2015. He has a particular interest in drama in the primary and early years of learning and has recently been working actively in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with universities, schoolteachers, theatres, private companies and kindergartens to promote the use of drama as pedagogy for second language learning.

List of Tables and Figures
Introduction
Chapter 1: Education at the Royal Shakespeare Company
Chapter 2: Why teach Shakespeare?
Chapter 3: Developing a Rehearsal Room Pedagogy at the RSC: Key Influences
Chapter 4: The Classroom as a Rehearsal Room: An Example of Practice
Chapter 5: A Theoretical Rationale for Rehearsal Room Pedagogy
Chapter 6: Tim Crouch Directing the Young People's Shakespeare
Chapter 7: The Impact of the Learning and Performance Network on the Practice of Teachers
Chapter 8: The Impact of Rehearsal Room Pedagogy on Students: What Research SHows (co-authored with Steve Strand)
Chapter 9: Looking Forward
Notes
Bibliography
Index