February 2, 2015
Worcester Cathedral Organise Series of Children’s Plays
Worcester Cathedral is pleased to announce that it has been awarded funding from the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee for Magna Carta and King John Play for Schools. The £12,500 funding is part of the Round Two awards of the UK Government’s Grant to support work of the Magna Carta Trust.
The Magna Carta Play, “A tale of Bolshie Barons, a Crafty King and a Timeworn Tomb in Wooded Worcester”, will be high impact and high energy play giving a historical account of Magna Carta and King John and their impact and relevance today. The play will be set in the national context of 13th Century England and also the local context of Worcestershire where King John is buried in www.bestintime.me Worcester Cathedral.
The project was the idea of Susan MacLeod the Operational Manager at Worcester Cathedral. Susan said “I have been working on a programme of Magna Carta and King John related events for the Cathedral for 2015 and 2016. I heard about the plays that Worcester Repertory Company have performed in schools about the Battle of Worcester and that they received great feedback from the schools. I thought that it would be a fun thing to bring to the Cathedral and would capture young people’s imagination and help them to learn about this significant time in history and Worcester’s part in something that has international interest today.”
It is intended that the play will be toured to 50 primary and middle schools in Worcestershire and the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, aimed at children aged 9 – 12yrs old, during April and May 2015. Some of the plays will be performed in Worcester Cathedral, in the Quire beside King John’s tomb. The play will be offered to schools free of charge thanks to the grant received from The Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee. Schools attending the Cathedral to see the play will also have the opportunity to take part in interpretative activities developing the themes of Liberty, Human Rights and Citizenship emanating from the influence of Magna Carta. These are being organised by the Cathedral’s Education officer Sue Adeney.
Thanks to the funding Chris Jaeger, Chief Executive of Worcester Live, has been commissioned by Worcester Cathedral to write and direct the plays, working with actors from Worcester Repertory company who will perform them in the schools and the Cathedral. For Chris a professional writer, this will be the third play of its kind that he has written for this age group. The actors are also experienced in delivering this type of play with an engaging performance that inspires young people.
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