More about this Workshop/Service and the Provider
Schools
We offer a range of informative and inspiring courses to bring Shakespeare and his works to life for all ages and key stages.
Key Stage 1
Workshops focusing on Shakespeare’s Tudor Life
Connect with your class at Mary Arden’s Farm - a safe, secure and fun site with special access for primary schools.
Your class will take part in an energetic and interactive workshop telling the story of William Shakespeare's life, followed by a fun re-telling of either The Tempest or A Midsummer Night's Dream. The session is designed to capture your pupils' imagination through a series of rhymes, games and storytelling, as they discover what life was like for William as a schoolboy, family man, actor and playwright. Pupils will take part in hands-on activities including making masks and magic wands, enjoy using a variety of props and costumes and exploring the home of Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden.
Venue: Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, CV37 9UN
Duration: full day
Price: £11.50 per pupil
Maximum capacity for all workshops is one class.
One member of staff (free of charge) is required to accompany every eight children.
A minimum charge equivalent to 20 pupils applies to all workshops.
Lunch spaces available.
Key Stage 2
We offer a diverse range of learning activities that bring Shakespeare and British history to life in practical and creative ways. Our workshops are accredited with the Sandford Award ensuring quality, safe educational experiences for you and your pupils.
Tudors Alive!
ON-SITE
A living history workshop at Mary Arden's Tudor farm
Connect with your class at Mary Arden’s Farm - a safe, secure and fun site with special access for primary schools.
This living history experience gives children a unique opportunity for learning outside the classroom at Mary Arden’s Farm (the childhood home of William Shakespeare’s mother) in Wilmcote, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon.
Your pupils will spend the day as a Tudor child helping on our working farm.
During the session your pupils can:
- make wattle and daub
- play Tudor games
- design sugar subtleties
- paint a wall hanging
- dip candles
- harvest vegetables
- learn about sheep and the uses of wool
- enjoy Tudor music and dancing
- make lavender bags
Tudors Alive! is a truly unforgettable experience that will bring history to life for your class.
Venue: Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, CV37 9UN
Duration: full day
Price: £13 per pupil
Maximum capacity for all workshops is one class.
Please note we ask for a higher teacher to pupil ratio of 1:7 to allow the children to move around the farm activities in smaller groups. As a result all accompanying adults are free of charge.
A minimum charge equivalent to 20 pupils applies to all workshops.
Best Will in the World
ON-SITE
Energetic drama workshops on your choice of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth or The Tempest
Connect with your class at Mary Arden’s Farm - a safe, secure and fun site with special access for primary schools.
Choosing between A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and Macbeth, pupils will:
- explore the major themes of the play in a fun and interactive way.
- be immersed in the social and historical context of the play, the writer and the audience through access to original artefacts and documents from the Trust's extensive archive.
- work as an ensemble and in small groups to devise and perform scenes from the play
- stage an abridged performance using original text, movement and music
Venue: Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, CV37 9UN
Duration: full day
Price: £13 per pupil.
Maximum capacity for all workshops is one class.
One member of staff (free of charge) is required to accompany every eight children.
A minimum charge equivalent to 20 pupils applies to all workshops.
The Play’s the Thing
ON-SITE
Puzzle solving and drama at Mary Arden's Farm
In this play-building session children work with professional actors to explore, assemble and perform a unique script.
Connect with your class at Mary Arden’s Farm - a safe, secure and fun site with special access for primary schools.
During this session pupils will:
- bring Shakespeare's language to life by creating dramatic and musical contexts for his words
- explore and experience a range of dramatic theatre techniques
- encounter unfamiliar vocabulary and gain confidence in inferring meaning from context
- demystify Shakespeare's language and perform extracts from a variety of play scripts
- learn about the narrative structure of a play
Venue: Mary Arden’s Farm, Wilmcote, CV37 9UN
Duration: Full day
Price: £11.50 per pupil
Maximum capacity for all workshops is one class.
One member of staff (free of charge) is required to accompany every eight children.
A minimum charge equivalent to 20 pupils applies to all workshops.
Testimonials
A fantastic day trip. Informative, interactive and very enjoyable.
— STOKE PRIOR FIRST SCHOOL
This trip is possibly the best I've been on in my 6 years as a teacher! The children loved it! Thank you so much.
— ST. JOHN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL
This is our 4th visit. Always a fantastic, hands-on experience with well-planned , well-paced and authentic activities. Staff are amazing and very knowledgeable.
— OUR LADY'S RC PRIMARY
Availability & How to Book
We are ready to organise your special event for you and answer any queries you may have.
Please complete the enquiry form below and someone will get back to you.