Romeo and Juliet

The parents were treated to a Shakespearean extravaganza as the oldest pupils put on their very own version of Romeo and Juliet. The play was a culmination of their final half-term’s literacy work that focused on one of the Bard’s most famous plays. Every single child in the top class had a speaking part and delivered their lines with both passion and understanding. After the show parents commented on not only the children’s acting abilities but also to say how impressed they were and that they wished Shakespeare had been introduced to them like that when they were younger…it was such fun. The script itself was re-worked from the original by Mr Williamson (the Class Teacher) who took all of the key speeches and wove them into an abridged version complete with 50’s songs and some humorous touches such as a mercurial ice-cream seller who attempted to cool the fiery tempers of both the Capulets and the Montagues.  Initially we were nervous about tackling such a huge play however, the children more than rose to the challenge. It just goes to show that you can never underestimate the children’s abilities to engage with what many would consider to be a challenging text; “…Beat them down! Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!”