FEBRUARY HALF TERM FAMILY ACTIVITES AT THE RSC
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- Full week of activities for all ages from Monday 17 February to Saturday 22 February at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon
- Programme includes exhibition tours, stage effects demonstrations, storytelling workshops, stage combat classes, and interactive wigs, hair and make-up demonstration
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today released full details of its February Half Term 2025 activity in Stratford-upon-Avon which invites families and young people to join our week of Mischief and Mayhem from 17–22 February. Packed with engaging workshops and activities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy, from budding actors to creative crafters and curious minds.
The Play's The Thing Family Tours
Bring our in-house theatre exhibition The Play’s The Thing to life in this unique tour that will take you through the process of how we design and make a play, ready for the stage. Get involved with opportunities to dress up and speak some Shakespeare.
- Monday 17 February at 12pm and 2pm
- Swan Reading Room, Swan Theatre
- Free of charge, booking essential
- Suitable for ages 7+.
Find more information here
Family Stage Combat
Led by professional stage combat experts, this interactive session will teach you and your family the secrets behind epic on-stage battles. Discover how actors safely perform sword fights, hand-to-hand combat, and dramatic falls, all while telling a story worthy of Shakespeare himself.
- Monday 17 February at 11:30am and 1:30pm
- Clore Learning Centre
- £4 under 18, £5 accompanying adults
- Family workshop - please book a ticket for all attending
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Suitable for ages 7+
Find more information here
Make A Skull
Be inspired by the prop skulls in our exhibition, The Play’s The Thing, and make a skull to re-enact the famous Yorick scene from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet.
- Monday 17 February from 2pm to 5pm
- Welcome Space, Level 2, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- Suitable for all ages
- Children must be accompanied by a parent/carer
- Free of charge, drop-in, no booking required
Find more information here
Family Shakespeare Storytelling
Get the whole family involved with a fun, bitesize storytelling session, introducing you to the world of Shakespeare. Take a journey through Shakespeare’s plays with a mixture of actor-led storytelling, play, and drama games and exercises.
- Monday 17 February and Tuesday 18 February at 10:15am and 11:30am both days
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- £4 under 18, £5 accompanying adults
- Family workshop - please book a ticket for all attending
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Suitable for ages 4+
Find more information here
Shakespeare Insults
Drop in and throw some insults, Shakespeare style! Have a go at putting together some Shakespeare style insults, playing with rhythm and creating your own scenes.
- Tuesday 18 February from 2pm to 5pm
- Welcome Space, Level 2, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- Suitable for all ages
- Children must be accompanied by their parent/carer
- Free of charge, drop-in, no booking required
Find more information here
Blood, Guts and Gore
Enjoy interactive demonstrations showing all of the tips and tricks the RSC uses for gruesome special effects, wigs, costumes, make-up, and much more.
- Thursday 20 February
- Clore Learning Centre
- Family workshop - please book a ticket for all attending
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- £4 under 18, £5 accompanying adults
Find more information here
Hamlet's Castle Stay and Play
A morning of sensory play inspired by Elsinore Castle in Hamlet. Explore the space in your own time, meet other families and enjoy discovering materials through play.
- Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 February from 10am to 12pm
- Welcome Space, Level 2, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- Suitable for pre-school children
- Children must be accompanied by their parent/carer
- Free of charge, drop in, no booking required
Find more information here
Drop-in Craft: Costume Techniques
Join us for an afternoon of making with recycled fabric scraps from our costume department, and learn a variety of skills from applique, sewing and printing. Come away with having made your very own patch pocket or canvas bag.
- Thursday 20 February from 2pm to 5pm
- Welcome Space, Level 2, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- Suitable for all ages
- Children must be accompanied by their parent/carer
- Free of charge, drop-in, no booking required
Find more information here
Workshops for Young People
Perfect for budding young theatre makers who want to act, make, or brush up on their stage combat skills! All workshops are drop-off sessions at The Clore Learning Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ages 8 to 11 sessions include:
- Act Shakespeare – 17 February – 10:30am to 12:30pm
- Act Shakespeare Masterclass – 18 February – 10:30am to 3:30pm
- Puppetry Workshop – 18 February – 10:30am to 12pm
- Stage Combat - 19 February – 10am to 11:30am
Find out more
Ages 11 to 14 sessions include:
- Act Shakespeare – 17 February – 1:30pm to 3:30pm
- Act Shakespeare Masterclass – 19 February – 10:30am to 3:30pm
- Prop Making Workshop – 18 February – 1:30pm to 3pm
- Stage Combat – 19 February – 12:30pm to 2pm
Find out more
Ages 14 – 18 sessions include:
- Act Shakespeare Masterclass – 10:30am to 3:30pm
- Stage Combat – 2:30pm to 4pm
Find out more
18-25 Hamlet Acting Masterclass
Join specialist RSC practitioners for this acting masterclass, exploring how to open up, interpret, and perform Shakespeare. Work on select dialogues and soliloquies, focusing on Hamlet as a source text. Includes a meet and greet and feedback with a representative from the RSC Casting team.
- Friday 21 and Saturday 22 February 2025
- 10.30am-4.30pm
- £100 for 2 days
- Clore Learning Centre
Find more information here
NOTES TO EDITORS
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) creates exceptional theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning a wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare – and theatre as a whole – is for everyone and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and live performance and with our learning and education work throughout the UK and across the world.
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
