More than 24,000 young people will see a Shakespeare or RSC production in their school hall or local theatre in 2025 as we step up our touring activity.
Two First Encounters with Shakespeare productions will be heading on tour in 2025, one of our hit 2024 shows will be streamed to classrooms nationwide, and Matilda the Musical will kick off its second UK and Ireland tour, with more dates to be announced.
Aimed at younger and ‘first-time’ audiences, First Encounters: The Tempest will tour for 12 weeks to school halls, town halls and regional theatres across the country, starting in County Durham on 10 February and ending in Northampton on 10 May 2025.
A fresh, abridged take on Shakespeare’s original text, the creative team includes Aaron Parsons (Director and Movement), Aldo Vázquez (Set and Costume Designer) and Jack Drewry (Composer and Sound Designer), along with a team of RSC Creative Associates. Explore the tour dates and venues.
Then, Eleanor Rhode’s 5-star production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream starring Matthew Baynton as Bottom, will be available to stream on demand for free to schools across the country from 3-7 February. The show opens in the Barbican this week, following its wildly successful run in Stratford-upon-Avon earlier in 2024.
In autumn 2025, we will take another First Encounters production on a 12 week tour (with details to be announced in the new year), plus the second major UK and Ireland tour of the multi award-winning Matilda The Musical will kick off in October 2025. The show has already been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities worldwide, and will celebrate 15 years on stage when it opens at Leicester Curve on 6 October.
At a time when creative learning provision in English schools has reached an all-time low, our expanded touring activity will give thousands more pupils and teachers the opportunity to enjoy – potentially their first – live performance of Shakespeare or live theatre in their own hometown or city.
The RSC’s Creative Learning and Engagement team reaches over 1,000 schools a year, working in classrooms and across communities to creatively engage young people with Shakespeare’s work, theatre, arts and heritage to improve life chances and learning outcomes.
The tour of First Encounters: The Tempest is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
