Culture & Education | Thursday 28 April, 2016 2:51 pm |

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the 8th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival – organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and currently underway at Expo Centre Sharjah until 30 April – is introducing children to the famous writer’s works through interactive plays in the hope of sparking an interest in classical literature. 

 

During the Shakespeare’s Spectacular play, professional actors from UK performed scenes from some of Shakespeare’s most well-known works, including Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hamlet. 

 

The actors use simple props that kids can find in their homes in order to show young people how accessible Shakespeare can be, not only in terms of reading, but also in terms of acting. As the play moves forward, the audience is encouraged to join in with some of the works’ most famous dialogue, prose and poems, and children have a chance to learn about Shakespeare’s oft-explored themes of love, bravery, knighthood and chivalry, all wrapped up nicely in one finely spun tale that features an assortment of The Bard’s characters and stories. 

Assistant Director at Passion in Practice, Ben Crystal says: “We’ve also tried to give the teachers visiting the festival more ideas on how to encourage a continued love for Shakespeare’s works moving forward”. 

 

Shakespeare’s Spectacular will take place on Wednesday (5pm–6pm), Thursday (5pm–6pm), Friday (5pm–6pm), and Saturday (5pm–6pm).