The Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF) is an education charity operating across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, including

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. The foundation organises an annual youth drama festival, involving 30,000 young people. Since 2000, the SSF has worked with over 300,000 students and their teachers.

History

The Shakespeare Schools Festival was founded by Chris Grace in 2000. In 2016, it was rebranded as the Shakespeare Schools Foundation. During the 2023-2024 period, more than 10,000 students from schools across the UK participated in various programmes. To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the SSF staged performances at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, a West End Gala, and at

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's 90th birthday. The SSF also hosted the "Trial of Hamlet" fundraiser. In 2018, the Foundation was awarded the

Praemium Imperiale Prince Takamatsu The Praemium Imperiale () is an international art prize inaugurated in 1988 and awarded since 1989 by the Imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, mu ...

Grant for Young Artists, having been selected for the award by the Chancellor of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and former Chairman of the

BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...

Chris Patten Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992, and the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997. He was made a lif ...

. In April 2018, the SSF hosted another West End fundraiser, "Trial of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

", at the

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldo ...

. The cast included

Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist and writer. He was a panellist in every episode of the comedy show ''Mock the Week'' (2005–2022) and is one half ...

David Oakes Rowan David Oakes (born 14 October 1983) is an English actor and environmentalist. He is best known for his roles in the series ''The Pillars of the Earth (miniseries), The Pillars of the Earth'', ''The Borgias (2011 TV series), The Borgias'', ...

Kae Alexander Kae Yukawa (born 31 August 1985), known professionally as Kae Alexander, is a Japanese actress. She gained prominence through her role as Jing Hua in '' Bad Education'' and its spinoff film. She played Leaf in the sixth season of ''Game of Thro ...

, Lady Justice Hallett, Ian Winter QC, and John Kelsey Fry QC, with contributions from Ed Vaizey MP, Maggie Aderin Pocock, and Tim Campbell. In 2020, the Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF) merged with the Coram Group, rebranding as the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (CSSF). The CSSF introduced the Shakespeare Schools Film Festival in 2023 in collaboration with

Into Film Into Film is a charity supported principally by the British Film Institute (through the National Lottery), Cinema First and Northern Ireland Screen. Into Film aims to put film at the heart of children and young people's educational, cultural and p ...

Workshops and curriculum resources

The SSF has developed a range of curriculum resources for teachers based on the National Curriculums of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The foundation also offers standalone workshops for students, teachers, and businesses.

Patrons

Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in '' East of Sudan'', '' Star!'', and two adaptations of '' The Railway Children'': the BBC's 1968 television seri ...

* Nick Allott *

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described by ''The Independent'' as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". He has received various accolades, including two BAFTA Awards, three Olivier Awar ...

Ruby Bentall Ruby Bentall (born 3 April 1988) is an English actress, known for playing Minnie in ''Lark Rise to Candleford'', Mary Bennet in ''Lost in Austen'', Verity Poldark in the 2015 BBC adaptation of Winston Graham's ''Poldark'' novels, and Angelica i ...

* Dame Judi Dench *

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ralph Fiennes, various accolades, including a British Academy Film ...

Jamila Gavin Jamila Gavin (born 9 August 1941) is a British writer who is known mainly for children's books, including several with Indian contexts. Life Gavin was born on 9 August 1941 in Mussoorie in the United Provinces of India, in the present-day ...

* John Heffernan * Sir Nicholas Hytner *

Paterson Joseph Paterson Davis Joseph (born 22 June 1964) is a British actor and author. Joseph appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions of ''King Lear'' and ''Love's Labour's Lost'' in 1990. On television he is best known for his roles in '' ...

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. In 2005, Kwei-Armah became the second black Briton to have a play staged in London's West End when his award-w ...

Francesca Martinez Francesca Martinez (born 1978) is an English comedian, writer and actress. She has cerebral palsy, but prefers to describe herself as "wobbly". Martinez first came to public attention in 1994, when she made her debut on the television series '' ...

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

Lord Puttnam David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (; born 25 February 1941), is a British-Irish film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include ''Chariots of Fire'' ...

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He gained recognition for playing Kevin Walker in the family drama series '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in the spy drama series ''The Americans'' (2013 ...

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is an English children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster, activist, and academic, who is a professor of children's literature in the Department of Educational Studies at Goldsmiths ...

* Sir Tom Stoppard * Dame Harriet Walter

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official WebsiteCoram page
Educational charities based in the United Kingdom Educational foundations based in the United Kingdom