The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s annual Shakespeare Prize celebrates his work and speaking verse, as an essential element of modern drama training.
This year’s prize was awarded to second year actor Meg Basham by head judge Dame Harriet Walter on March 18th in front of an invited audience at London’s Old Vic theatre.
‘Our Shakespeare prize acknowledges just how important working on this language is in terms of actor training and learning essential craft,’ said RWCMD Director of Drama Performance Jonathan Munby. ‘The fundamentals of verse-speaking and appreciation of language continue to remain at the core of the acting courses at RWCMD.‘
The five finalists were chosen by RWCMD Fellow Sir Jonathan Pryce when he came to Cardiff to work with all the second-year acting students in the autumn term.
The prize final was judged by Dame Harriet Walter, RWCMD graduate and Fellow Rakie Ayola, Sean Mathias, Jonathan Munby, and Head of Voice, Alice White.
Congratulations to Meg, and to the other finalists: Alice Baxter, Malcolm Bishop, Tumba Katanda and Max Lauder.
Shakespeare Prize judge, RWCMD graduate and Fellow Rakie Ayola said: ‘Of course an actor can have a wonderful career with no experience of Shakespeare, but with this extraordinary prize I believe RWCMD is saying loud and clear that it will very much remain a part of the comprehensive training they offer,’ said
‘It was a joy and a privilege to watch those five talented students stand on the Old Vic stage and breathe life into such beautiful, complicated language. I look forward to working with them all in the future.’
Supporting Shakespeare teaching in schools and colleges
This prize was created to celebrate the work of RWCMD students and their skills in speaking verse, but it goes beyond the College’s training and is also about promoting Shakespeare externally and enabling educators in Wales to continue teaching it by supporting their work.
‘We have committed to filming a major Shakespearean production each year, which will be freely available to schools and colleges across Wales,’ explained Jonathan Munby, who directed Sir Ian McKellen in King Lear at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2017, and again at The Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End in 2018. ‘Alongside this is a resource pack, which this year is based on our Autumn production of ‘Macbeth’ - to support students and teachers and bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom.
We hope to encourage young people to engage with Shakespeare, but also be inspired by what they see to consider pursuing a future in the creative industries.’
Photos for press here: RWCMD Shakespeare Prize 2024
See release on our press and media centre: Harriet Walter and Jonathan… | Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (rwcmd.ac.uk)
Macbeth teachers’ resource: a contemporary interpretation
The ‘Macbeth’ educational resource features a film of the production, along with interviews with key members of the RWCMD cast and creative team and crafted in accordance with WJEC’s GSCE specification to give a relevant and enriching experience for students.
Offering a contemporary interpretation, it imagines events in present tense, using a contemporary psychoanalytic view of the key characters and their relationships. - holding a mirror to the dangers of human folly and the devastating fallout of war.
Teachers have commented, ‘I really like the pack: the interviews are a great idea, and it’s also great to talk to designers,’ said Vivienne Goodman, Drama and Theatre Studies, Coleg Gwent. ‘The pack encourages understanding of text, interpretation, uses terminology very well. I think it links really well to careers in theatre design. I teach at AS & A Level and I would use aspects of this pack for the Live Production Influence sections of the WJEC exam.’
WJEC Moderator Beverley Roblin agreed, ‘I think this pack is excellent. I think you’ve rooted it firmly in production of the play as opposed to just studying a text in class.’
The next online resource will focus on the College’s production of ‘Julius Caesar’.
You can access the resource here: https://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/community/schools-and-colleges/macbeth-education-resource