Profile: Jacqueline Green
Ditching biochemistry for theatre was a no-brainer for the head of learning at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Jacqueline Green is head of learning and participation at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon. She is responsible for Shakespeare Week, a nationwide project with more than 150 cultural partners designed to give primary schoolchildren a memorable introduction to the bard. This year’s event runs from 16-22 March.
What’s the idea behind Shakespeare Week?
It is geared to primary schools because we are trying to get to children when they are young and won’t feel insecure about asking questions or be bothered by the fact that they don’t understand everything. Last year, more than 3,000 schools were involved; 40% of children who took part would not otherwise have been exposed to Shakespeare.
Who’s doing what this year?
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is doing craft activities with children, making cuffs, ruffs and quills. The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex is working with the Chichester Festival Theatre on developing a trail and producing living history and drama workshops, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is using its portraits to develop a trail looking at Tudor clothing.
Last year, a school in Nuneaton took part for the first time with every year group doing an activity based around a particular play. Afterwards, one boy pestered his family to bring him here and he was interviewed for our video blog. He knew lots about Shakespeare – when asked if he knew any of the plays he named eight – and he was only five years old.
Which plays did you study at school and did you enjoy the experience?
The first was A Midsummer Night’s Dream and, predictably, I found it boring at first. At 14, I was dragged to see a production of Twelfth Night here in Stratford. I saw the language brought to life and realised it wasn’t quite as impenetrable as I had thought.
How did you end up in the Shakespeare industry?
I studied biochemistry so Shakespeare and theatre were hobbies. Between my second and third years, however, I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Nicholas Nickleby on stage and, at the same time, did some work in a hospital lab where I discovered I’d probably end up taking exams for the rest of my life.
So I got a job as a theatre house manager – it was one of those places where you did the box office, opened up in the morning and cleaned when the cleaners were off.
Which Shakespearean character do you most identify with?
Viola in Twelfth Night. I love her strength, wit and ability to comment on herself. However, I fear my staff might see me as more like Lady Macbeth.
What’s the idea behind Shakespeare Week?
It is geared to primary schools because we are trying to get to children when they are young and won’t feel insecure about asking questions or be bothered by the fact that they don’t understand everything. Last year, more than 3,000 schools were involved; 40% of children who took part would not otherwise have been exposed to Shakespeare.
Who’s doing what this year?
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is doing craft activities with children, making cuffs, ruffs and quills. The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex is working with the Chichester Festival Theatre on developing a trail and producing living history and drama workshops, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is using its portraits to develop a trail looking at Tudor clothing.
Last year, a school in Nuneaton took part for the first time with every year group doing an activity based around a particular play. Afterwards, one boy pestered his family to bring him here and he was interviewed for our video blog. He knew lots about Shakespeare – when asked if he knew any of the plays he named eight – and he was only five years old.
Which plays did you study at school and did you enjoy the experience?
The first was A Midsummer Night’s Dream and, predictably, I found it boring at first. At 14, I was dragged to see a production of Twelfth Night here in Stratford. I saw the language brought to life and realised it wasn’t quite as impenetrable as I had thought.
How did you end up in the Shakespeare industry?
I studied biochemistry so Shakespeare and theatre were hobbies. Between my second and third years, however, I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Nicholas Nickleby on stage and, at the same time, did some work in a hospital lab where I discovered I’d probably end up taking exams for the rest of my life.
So I got a job as a theatre house manager – it was one of those places where you did the box office, opened up in the morning and cleaned when the cleaners were off.
Which Shakespearean character do you most identify with?
Viola in Twelfth Night. I love her strength, wit and ability to comment on herself. However, I fear my staff might see me as more like Lady Macbeth.