STIRRING scenes from Shakespeare were the inspiration for a global pre-Christmas production staged by The Royal senior school drama department.

The production – A Dream, A Scheme and All That Lies In Between – was also screened on YouTube.

It was made up of three parts, comprising abridged versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth and a medley of some of the most famous scenes, speeches and sonnets.

Edward Taylor-Gooby, head of drama, said: “After the glitz and glamour of last year’s production of Grease, this year I wanted to return to a play rather than a musical and where better than the Bard.

“As always, I wanted to celebrate the enthusiasm and commitment of as many of our pupils as possible, so I decided to stage not one play, not two, but a range of Shakespeare’s work. The show featured pupils from Year 7 to Lower Sixth in both casts, who had worked on lines and characters since the summer, to host the programme of stripped back Shakespeare works.

“I was delighted with the work of our students, some of whom were being introduced to senior school theatre for the first time, and some who were being stretched to produce their best performance work to date.

“We were also able to stream the performance live on YouTube, so friends and family all over the world could tune in.”