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I watched the programme with great interest having just been involved in supporting a group of complex disabled young people to take on the challenge of Romeo and Juliet. We spent a week with a local theatre company and 25 young people got involved and the impact and achievement was stunning. Young people were wholly involved in the project no matter how disabled. We weren't able to stick to the whole script but did include alot and to see your young people getting to grips with the language made me recognise the achievement of our young people was immense. We used a lot of sensory improvisation and decided to make the performance at the end of the week site specific in a local stately home.
I can't wait to see how your young people progress with the project next week.
One thing I learnt is that Shakespeare isn't to be feared but embraced and boy does it open your heart and mind.

Jane

This was a great programme and I can't wait to see the outcome in performance over the weekend. It's proof that there are some very talented young people out there who just need the opportunity to grasp something like Shakespeare and get involved in theatre as a way to gain confidence and have something to work towards. I'm involved in a local amateur theatre and to have the forum to go in and learn new skills and work on developing characters and the confidence from that is invaluable. Great show and hope this encourages others to take on the mantle and get involved!

Ellie, Newcastle upon Tyne

It was marvelous to see the understanding of shakespearean language grow within the cast, i'm sure for all of them their must of been that magic moment when you first "get" shakespeare. The program should be applauded for showing teenagers in a positive and warm light. I am watching the clock in anticipation of the final episode. Thank you Paul and the Beeb. I hope this inspires others to take the time to appreciate the wonderful story teller and intuitive observationist of the human animal that shakespeare was.

I just wanted to say the show is actually brilliant! Being an eighteen year old shakespeare geek i think it is really cool that you are giving young people around my age the oppertunity to be a part of something amazing, as unfortunately the media doesnt normally portray us in a positive way. Can't wait to see the final performance, it keeps my mind off my a level exams!!

I am struggling to download series 1 on to IPlayer, and forgot to record it laswt night. Does anybody know if the series will be put on to DVD or does anybody have a copy of it. Would be really useful for the school I work in.

Thanks Carol

Absolutely fantastic programme...I could not wait to see the second and third episodes. I agree that it was great to see young children in such a positive way. To see their journeys as they begin to understand Shakespeare and take it forward to a performance for not only those in the theatre but also knowing it will be shown on a screen outside as well was captivating.

Will the performance be shown on TV? I really do hope so as I (and I am sure all the other viewers as well) would love to see it.

Congratulations to all involved in the programmes and the play and thank you so much for showing the whole of the performance on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Red Button.

Dear Mr. Rosenby,

I was watching the Ö÷²¥´óÐã yesterday evening and came across language I recognized to be Shakespeare's. I kept watching since I had no idea what this show was about, but I was intrigued nevertheless. I was really moved by the performance of the actors. I must say that I was quite suprised that Beth is only 15 years old! wow what a perfomance, and this was only on tv..the real deal must have been so emotional! sadly I cannot see the previous episodes since the I-player is not available here (the Netherlands) but I just wanted to say that you, and of course the kids have done a marvelous job! there are some great talents there!

I've been watching the episodes online, and didn't realise that you see the whole performance on the Red Button, is there a chance it'll be put online? I loved this programme so much, not only does it show us teens in a good light, but it makes me wish I wasn't leaving in two weeks so I could do something like this :)

To ALL concerned and involved with the making of this series and the production in Coventry I would like to say a hearty congratulations. I've just completed watching the series on iPlayer and thoruoghly enjoyed all episodes and was moved by both the performance of the play itself, of which I was familiar, and also by the journey completed by the players.
I happened upon the full performance on the red button by accident! Maybe I'd missed something but there didn't seem much info about this provision.
How about a DVD of the whole thing?
Best wishes and congratulations once again.

This was a wonderful programme in every way ... and the end result, the performance by these great youngsters, was a total triumph for all concerned. A good production of R & J should always bring the audience to tears, in my view ... and this one certainly did!

Thank you SO much for one of the most entertaining, memorable and moving programmes so far this year! Bravo!!

I think this was a brilliant conception and my wife and I watched all three episodes. For Episode 3, we were joined by our 10 year old granddaughter, who also watched it with avid interest throughout. I do believe that the time is coming for a return to what I would describe as "Intellectualism" and to finally stop dumbing down education, most particularly in both the Arts and the Sciences. Programme scheduling is an issue here too. Episode 3 coincided with England's open world Cup match - this would have lost some potential audience. If the Ö÷²¥´óÐã genuinely wishes to promote this kind of programme to young people (and I believe it should), why not follow the experiment it tried with Bleak House after Eastenders and put Romeo and Juliet on after Waterloo Road, when all teenagers will be watching.

I am not a techie type person and did not find the full showing of the production. will this be broadcast or will it be available on DVD or a download of some description?

Hey Paul,

First, let me congratulate you on the quality of the work you've achieved with both schools. Their final performance made me cry because I felt proud of them and emotionally involved.
I'm teaching in a French secondary school with kids aged 12-14 and I 've taken up the challenge of introducing them to Shakespeare. As you can imagine, this form of theatre is even less accessible to French pupils than to British ones. Yet, despite the difficulties - and there were many ! - I saw my students get committed and give their best effort on a scene from Romeo and Juliet. The passion they put into it struck me because I realized they related strongly to the story created by Shakespeare 400 years ago. They looked for many ingenious ways of adapting Shakespeare to our contemporary world, it was amazing. Their English rendition of the play obviously didn't compare to your young performers' one but it was a success anyway.
I was curious to know if a DVD would be available of the performance as well as the preparation to it such as offered on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã. It would be interesting for my students to realize British students experienced the same difficulties as they have tackling Shakespeare's text and how they got over them so brilliantly.

Many thanks and congratulations again !

Em

I've just finished watching the series on iplayer and thought it was an excellent project. As a teenager I took part in several theatre productions, mostly led by teachers and volunteers. They are some of my best memories. As an adult I now really appreciate the time that was given up by those people who worked with us. The work that you and your team put into this project is fantastic Paul - this will no doubt be an experience your cast will remember and build on for life.

Any chance of seeing the whole production - I missed it on the red button - it would be great to have a chance to watch all their hard work either online or on Ö÷²¥´óÐã 4 or on DVD. Any plans?

I realised the whole perforamce was on the red button about 20 mins from the end, I would very much love to see the whole performance. Can we have this back on iplayer again please?

I am aiming to get the full performance up on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã programme page from next tuesday. It will remain there forever, so you can watch whenever you like.
I will add a post here when it's all been uploaded, but for the time being you can view some exclusive clips of workshops/ rehearsals with Paul, Adrian and Lolita, as well as some other behind the scenes footage - here /programmes/b00sq6b1

Great stuff!
Really enjoyed the series and best congratulations to all the cast
(& production crew) who were outstanding. Especially the 'kids' in all the lead roles, given their relative inexperience.
Well Done.

Hated Shakespeare at school, but the periodic context, given it was Cov, was great too.

Absolutely fantastic, a brilliant example of what the Ö÷²¥´óÐã License Fee can be used for.
As a now 40-year-old lover of Shakespeare and a teenager who acted in musicals at school and with a community theatre group, this three part series was superb at showing just how important community and schools-based drama is.
The beautiful thing about this programme was that it showed how kids can completely grasp that Shakespeare isn't stuffy, it isn't irrelevant, it isn't boring but that his plays can find mirrors in our everyday life.
Having Adrian Lester and Lolita Chakrabati as mentors was also inspired, two superb actors who were great at showing the kids how to best reach their potential.
I also liked that the production team didn't cut out bits that perhaps wouldn't be as palatable, Dan leaving the show, Kevin not turning up, proof that even with a Ö÷²¥´óÐã camera crew, teenagers can still be unpredictable.
I'm really happy to hear the full production will be available in perpetuity as it's something which should be available to anyone as proof positive that even in today's world of technology and computer gaming, the word of the Bard can be used to bring people together.

Well done Paul and all of your team.

Hi, following up my post from last week, there's unfortunately been a slight technical hitch getting this material uploaded onto the webpage. I hope to have the entire performance up by Thursday. Many apologies - Jake Hayes, Researcher When Romeo Met Juliet

Arrived home early today to avoid any post-football rage or euphoria which may spill out onto the streets!! Settled down with a cuppa to watch my recording of the final episode. I enjoyed it SO much. How wonderful to see the enjoyment in the young people's faces, and the wonderment on the faces of the audience also. Superb - congratulations to everyone involved.

The full performance is now available to view on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã programme page, alongside various other exclusive clips from the show. It will remain there forever, so you can watch whenever you like.
/programmes/b00sq6b1