Pupils from Edgewick Community Primary School in Coventry will welcome actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company when its 80-minute, adrenaline-charged First Encounters production of King Lear visits on Friday 17 October.

Performances: 1.30pm (open only to pupils) and 6pm (on sale to members of the public).

Public performances will also take place between 23 – 31 October in the RSC’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The latest in the RSC’s series of First Encounters with Shakespeare productions aimed at new and younger audiences, the show is directed by renowned theatre director, Justine Themen and performed in Shakespeare’s original language. Justine Themen has a strong relationship with Coventry, having worked at the Belgrade Theatre and as part of City of Culture 2021.

Signalling the RSC’s continued commitment to widening access to quality arts experiences, King Lear is the second of two, 12-week tours to travel the country in 2025, made possible thanks to a touring grant from Arts Council England. The combined tours mean a total of 24,000 young people and their families will see the RSC perform Shakespeare live in their hometown this year.

Abridged versions of Shakespeare’s original plays, First Encounters productions are designed to travel to school halls, local theatres and community venues up and down the country. First Encounters: King Lear has been co-created with young people and theatre partners through a series of Research and Development workshops in areas the tour is visiting. Edgewick Community Primary School is the lead school for Coventry in the RSC’s Associate Schools programme that aims to transform the way young people and partner communities engage with Shakespeare.

Following the success of First Encounters: The Tempest which toured the country in spring, First Encounters: King Lear will be on the road until Friday 12 December 2025. As well as the RSC’s first performances on the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight, the tour includes stops in Northampton, Cornwall, Skegness, Nottingham, Coventry, Stratford-upon-Avon, Southampton, Portsmouth, Norwich, Peterborough, Suffolk and Kent.

Joining the creative team are Set and Costume Designer Anisha Fields; Composer Arun Ghosh; Movement Director Martin Hylton; Dramaturg Stewart Pringle; and Casting Directors Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Charlie Metcalf.

First Encounters touring productions are part of the RSC’s work with young people, schools and communities across the country. The Company’s approaches to learning and teaching Shakespeare are proven to positively impact young people’s learning and life outcomes, as demonstrated through the RSC’s Time to Act research.

Click on the link for more information about the RSC’s work in schools.