PUPILS from Launceston College joined together with other schools from across the UK at Downing Street on Wednesday, July 6, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

During the afternoon eight, talented Year 7 pupils from Launceston College were joined by Conservative MP for North Cornwall Scott Mann, to work together to bring Shakespeare’s Hamlet to life at the heart of 10 Downing Street.

The eight pupils from Launceston College who took part in this amazing opportunity was: Charles, Megan, Molly, Chloe, Hattie, Katrina, Izzi and Suranne.

Before the workshop began the pupils were taken on a tour around 10 Downing Street, where they had a chance to sit at the table in the infamous cabinet room and meet former Prime Minister David Cameron.

Working alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a group of children, aged five to 16 from five schools, performed extracts from some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.

These included: Twelfth Night, Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and Julius Caesar.

The final performance was a culmination of the days activities, which had seen more than 100 young people from eleven schools across the UK take part in workshops that were based around Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s director of education Jacqui O’Hanlon said: “The work of RSC Education changes lives, and Shakespeare always has something to say to us.

“His plays touch on all human emotion experienced in everyday life and they encourage us to reflect on the world we live in, helping us to understand each other and ourselves.

“We have seen the impact that our work with schools has had on the aspirations of young people all over the country.

“We use approaches drawn from our rehearsal rooms to bring Shakespeare’s plays to life in the classroom and in performance.

“We are privileged to see the results for individual students, whole schools and communities when we all share in the inheritance of Shakespeare’s plays.”

The pupils were also able to perform scenes from Hamlet using approaches from the RSC’s rehearsal rooms to celebrate the enduring influence and legacy of one of Britain’s greatest playwright’s.

Mr Mann said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time over at number 10 with the students from Launceston College.

“It was great to see them taking an interest in Shakespeare’s work and it was evident as the session went on that they were becoming more and more confident.

“I was also delighted that the Prime Minister took time out of his busy schedule to come and meet them, and the experience will no doubt be unforgettable for all those who attended.”

A video from the Shakespeare festival, which features Launceston College students, and includes an interview with student Katrina Henwood, can be viewed at www.rsc.org.uk/news/celebrating-shakespeare-at-number-10