Shakespeare Schools Festival Will Celebrate 2019 Gala Dinner and Auction

On 14th November, stars of stage and screen will be joining young performers to celebrate 20 years of Shakespeare Schools Festival at a special 2019 Gala Dinner and Auction. The Shakespeare Schools Festival is the flagship project of the charity Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF).

Since the Festival began in 2000, SSF has worked with more than 300,000 young people. The award-winning cultural education charity supports schools to stage abridged performances of Shakespeare plays in local professional theatres right across the UK. Teachers report that children taking part in the Festival grow in confidence, engage more in the classroom and show positive development in teamwork, empathy and resilience.

The fundraising Gala and Auction will be held in the art deco surroundings of Senate House Library, with young performers from the 2019 Festival joined by patrons and special guests of Shakespeare Schools Foundation including Harriet Walter, John Heffernan and Charity Wakefield. Jan Ravens, best known for her work on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, will be hosting the evening.*

Limited tickets for the gala are still available at a cost of £195 for a single ticket, £365 for a pair and £1,650 for a table of up to 10. For more information and to book tickets to this glittering event, please visit https://www.shakespeareschools.org/gala

All proceeds from the evening will support children in every region and nation of the UK, as the charity prepares for the next 20 years of introducing the power of Shakespeare to young people across the UK - and giving the next generation the skills they need to succeed.

*All performers subject to availability

For further details, contact Hannah Watson, Director of Income Generation and Communications, on: hannah@shakespeareschools.org or 020 7601 1812.

Key information about Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF)

• Shakespeare Schools Foundation is an award-winning cultural education charity that gives young people across the UK the confidence and skills they need to succeed in life.

• In 2019, over 20,000 young people from over 750 schools will perform abridged Shakespeare plays in 118 professional arts venues around the UK as part of Shakespeare Schools Festival. This is the world's largest youth drama festival.

• Since the charity was founded in 2000, SSF has worked with around 300,000 young people from primary, secondary and special schools and Pupil Referral Units.

• SSF is deeply committed to reaching young people living in disadvantaged areas. In 2019, over a third of schools the charity is working with are situated in the top 30% of most deprived areas of the UK.

• The charity has won the following awards:

Praemium Imperiale's 2018 Grant for Young Artists (a major global art prize which recognises outstanding contribution to the arts for young people); Educational Resource Provider of the Year at the 2018 Education Awards; 2018 Big Give Christmas Challenge Award; 'Best Donor Love' at the Management Centre's Emcee Awards for its 2017 Christmas card campaign.

• Taking part in the Festival promotes life skills. Following the 2018 Festival:

- 98% of teachers said that their students were more confident

- 97% said students were able to work more effectively as a team

- 95% of teachers said students were better able to empathise with each other

• It also promotes academic attainment. Following the 2018 Festival:

- 82% of teachers reported an improvement in students' academic attainment,

- 83% said students improved their attainment in English.

• Find out more about Shakespeare Schools Foundation at: www.shakespeareschools.org

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