On Friday 6th March, pupils from 10 Infant, Junior and Primary schools performed in the GSP Shakespeare production of King Lear.  

This year, the script was again edited by Hayley Stewart from Kingsholm C of E Primary School, so the GSP’s young thespians could understand and follow the plot. 

The play tells the tale of a King who divides his kingdom between the two daughters who flatter him most and then banishes the third daughter, who genuinely loves him. As the tragedy unfolds, his eldest daughters then reject him, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. As you would expect from ‘The Bard’, the script is packed with sub-plots, hidden identity, quarrels, reconciliation and disaster.  

There were two performances of the play on the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with pupils from each school delivering their allotted acts brilliantly. The annual GSP Shakespeare production gives our schools an accessible framework within which to introduce pupils to some of the works of Shakespeare as part of their curriculum.  It also creates an opportunity for them to perform in front of their families and builds their confidence. 

The Shakespeare Festival is a very popular event in the GSP calendar and was made so successful by the great dedication of the Shakespeare Leaders in each of our schools and by the support from the Drama Department at Sir Thomas Rich’s School, who delivered the CPD again this year and Henley Bank High School, who provided a great venue.