Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream to be translated into Welsh to commemorate 400th anniversary

Shakespeare isn’t best known for his links to Wales, despite basing one of his plays there, creating several Welsh characters and even bearing Celtic blood himself, thanks to his maternal grandmother.

The Bard may now find renewed popularity in the principality, however, as one of his most loved scripts is to be translated into Welsh as part of a programme in schools throughout the UK to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his death.

But rather than using Cymbeline – largely set in Wales, though not one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays – schoolchildren in Cardiff, Swansea and elsewhere will instead be able to perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream in their traditional language.

Organisers of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebrations, during which the play will also be translated into Urdu for children of Pakistani backgrounds, claim their efforts will not only bring a new audience to Shakespeare’s plays but boost pupils’ language skills as well.

Every school in the UK is being invited to join the RSC’s “Dream Team 2016” and put on their own version of the play. Performances will take place around the country with amateur theatre companies joining the professionals to take part in productions.

One of the highlights of the year will be giving children the opportunity to take part in a two-week “Playmaking Festival”, at the RSC’s The Other Place theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where they will perform their adapted version of the play in a Shakespearean setting.

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Primary, secondary and special schools will all be given a 30-minute slot to present their performance - either at The Other Place or at the RSC’s The Dell, an open-air theatre in Stratford. Those seeking to submit an application to take part have until 29 February to do so.

“We think it will be a bit like an Edinburgh Fringe for Shakespeare,” said Jacqui O’Hanlon, head of education at the RSC. Between 70 and 90 schools are expected to take part. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most performed and best-loved plays – and we aim to reach to a wider audience with it this year.”

In addition, during 2016, the RSC will be sending actors into schools to help with production and there will be school broadcasts of the Bard’s plays – which have so far reached 700 schools. The RSC is looking for a wider audience in 2016.

“There are three very important things to remember when you are tackling Shakespeare at a school – do it on your feet, see it live and start at primary school,” said Ms O’Hanlon.

The approach being adopted is a far cry from the traditional approach where children sat in their classrooms reading out sections of the play in turns.

Ms O’Hanlon, though, is adamant there is no “dumbing down” of Shakespeare’s works as a result of the new approaches to presenting his plays to children in the classroom.

“What we can’t ever do is deny that Shakespeare is challenging,” she said. “You can’t dumb it down. It has to be a real challenge. By preparing their own performances in the way that they are for the Playmaking Festival, they’re using other skills – for instance, language skills by translating Shakespeare.”

“What I want at the end of the year is to be able to look back and say we brought Shakespeare to new audiences – and that they enjoyed it and it was fun. I’d like to say we’ve got many, many more schools who have been connected with Shakespeare’s work.

“I want there to be more of it in schools because we know Shakespeare’s work can be rich and exciting.”

Will power: The Bard in Welsh

* Ni fi gwrs gwir serch fynd yn llyfn erioed

* The course of true love never did run smooth (Lysander)

* Titania falch, cyfarfod chwithig dan loergan

* Ill met by moonlight proud Titania (Oberon)

* Mi wn am lain lle tyf y teimyn wyrdd

* I know a bank where the wild thyme grows (Oberon)

* Os bu i ni gysgodion bechu

* If we shadows have offended (Puck)