SAM ATKINS THIRTEEN witches rather than the usual three plagued the ever unfortunate Macbeth in a recent production at Fulford Cross special school in York, writes Julie Henry.
Altering scenes is just one of the techniques employed by English and drama teacher Chris Wyman to make the Bard more accessible to primary pupils, including those with learning difficulties.
He has been working with schools in York, using drama to support the literacy hour. He said: “Within a day we can produce something that is good enough for the rest of the school to watch. Performances are stlised using lots of costumes and fabrics and lots of percussion to give children their cue and keep the narrative going.
“We concentrate on the key elements of the story, or even a couple of lines to put a play together. Then I look at how many children there are, the skills they have and the bits that interest them most.
“Macbeth and The Tempest, with lots of storms and battles, are usually popular.”
The York Schools Learning Together project is funded by the Gatsby Foundation, a charitable fund which supports mainly maths, science and computer projects.
