Creative Learning and Engagement: community collaboration 

Rachel Sharpe (Head of Co-Creation at the RSC Creative Learning and Engagement Department)

Monday 17 November, 6.00 pm - White Swan
Rachel Sharpe is Head of Co-Creation at the RSC.

She will discuss how the company works with local communities through creative learning, exhibitions, workshops and public events. She will focus on her role within the RSC’s Creative Learning and Engagement department, how it works, who they collaborate with and cover highlights from the past year. She’ll touch on the local public programmes including The Play’s the Thing (the window into the RSC's collection), exhibitions, workshops, building trails, Shakespeare’s Birthday celebrations, half-term activities, Great Big Green Week, CLE onstage projects, installations, the National Day of Play, summer schools, and the Clore workshop programme.

She’ll end with an update on the Town Arts and Culture Strategy, which is currently in development.

Report on the talk (there is no presentation for this talk)

Rachel has been at the RSC for four years and she is leaving soon to go to the Birmingham Rep. She has also worked for the National Trust and in the theatre in the past.

Funding is received from the Arts Council to develop links with the nest generation and the local community. The aims are to bring Shakespeare to life in schools, both locally and nationally, with Reach in the public realm with exhibitions and installations, Engagement using the Clore Learning Centre with programmes for children, and Impact with the RSC as a leader in the arts.

The objectives are for everyone to Make, Do and Learn: to transform experiences of Shakespeare for young people, improve life chances for children, create talent pathways in industries with skill shortages and undertake research to demonstrate the benefits of an arts-rich education and life.

The work is child-centred with events and experiences for 'marginalised' groups in particular. The forthcoming musical play The Boy who Harnessed the Wind (February-March 2026) exemplifies this.

Work is done with 1,000 schools, both locally and nationally, reaching over 500,000 young people. There are many visitors to The Play’s the Thing exhibition, which is free. The RSC has a vast collection which is used for this. They also work with 16 regional theatres in 32 towns and cities in England. Rachel’s own work is in Stratford, which is considered to be an arts rich town, but not everyone goes to the theatre. Rachel said that her family came here regularly, but just enjoyed a day out, with chips! So, there is a huge task to draw many people into the theatre and arts generally.

'Playfulness and Imagination' is the theme for 2025. 'Discover Shakespeare' ran from April to July 2025 and there was a trail for young people around the theatre. Rachel believes that the Shakespeare birthday celebrations are a great asset in themselves. The RSC also ran a pop-up stage in the RSC gardens, including puppet making, and there are activities in the Welcome Space (Paccar Room). Co-creation means that other people are invited to help with displays and activities, e.g. displaced people from Ukraine put on King Lear in Ukrainian and a film was made of the experience in 2024. Work is done with refugees with 'Welcome Here' too. Other activities are:

  • Half-term holiday activities for children, some free
  • Participation in the Great Big Green Week
  • The u3a History group uses the Welcome Space for meetings
  • In the summer holidays, children were involved in the designs for the inflatable flowers erected in the Swan Theatre
  • There was a sculptural trail
  • The first Wednesday in August is National Play Day
  • Storytelling Stay and Play, for children
  • Hidden Stories for children 8-14 and 18-20 years olds
  • The 78th summer school in August drew people from all over
  • The Next Generation young company performed Timon of Athens
  • The BFG (Big Friendly Giant, Roald Dahl) is coming soon to the RSC and there is an installation inspired by it.

The Town Arts and Culture Strategy is a very important aim, but it needs work to pull people from a number of organisations together to develop it. Aaron Corsi from BID, will be involved and one thousand people are engaged in it. The vision was published in April 2025, there has been a public survey with a large response, and the aim is to have developed the strategy by April 2026. The Town Centre Strategic Partnership Group (and many local organisations) has produced a Phase 1 report from one thousand respondents. There are a number of initiatives: a World Café in June 2024, a Stratford Youth Collective, Paper Moon and Mencap and various workshops. There are lots of ideas as well as talent and ambition. Now implementation is needed.

The themes include: Inclusiveness and being welcomed, Cost, transport and a lack of transport as barriers, Feelings of exclusion by young people, That youth-led festivals are needed, Music, comedy and the visual arts, not just Shakespeare!, Shakespeare as an inspiration to do new things, Co-ordination with various organisations and Sustainability, new technology and the long-term.

Conclusion: the message is, briefly – inclusive governance, co-ordination across sectors, affordable spaces and structure, a clear message and continuing involvement with relevant people. This is a 10-year vision with culture being a shared part of everyday life. We are at a cultural crossroads – our reputation and heritage plus culture must be shaped by and be open to all.

There were many questions and comments from the large and enthusiastic audience, particularly regarding funding, including encouraging donations (there is an opportunity here and Stratford will apply for 'Town of Culture' funding), the problem of dealing with pockets of poverty in a perceived 'rich' town, work with local community centres, like the Ken Kennett centre, involvement with schools, co-operation between the RSC and the SBT (there is already a good relationship regarding their collections), and the possible alternative use of the closed summerhouse in the RSC gardens!