This Autumn, the RSC marks 20 years of working in partnership with theatres, schools and communities across England with Building Partnerships: a programme of special events and performances.
As part of Building Partnerships, the week of 12 October has been designated Celebrating Partnerships Week in honour of the 17 theatre partners and 280+ school partners who make up the RSC Associate Schools Programme and work tirelessly to make a difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people each year.
Dowdales School are proud to be part of the ASP working in partnership with schools across Furness and South Cumbria and the RSC to transform experiences of Shakespeare, improve life and learning outcomes and make the arts more accessible.
To kick-start Celebrating Partnerships Week, we’re all joining forces to launch the 2026 Associate Schools Programme Impact Report: a celebration of everything that these powerful partnerships have achieved over the past 12 months.
Being part of the partnership means that children and young people in Furness and South Cumbria benefit from access to an arts-rich education and an experience of Shakespeare that is proven to boost children’s language, writing and oracy skills, academic self-concept, critical thinking, well-being, belonging and agency.
Highlights in the report show that in 2026:
- 1029 teachers took part in professional training led by us, the RSC and other theatre partners. 100% of the teachers surveyed said that after the training they felt more confident, better equipped and more able to plan and teach transformative Shakespeare lessons.
- 11,158 young people and their families saw the RSC’s First Encounters touring production of King Lear. 45% watched in a school and 39% were seeing Shakespeare performed live for the first time.
- This year’s annual Playmaking Festival saw more than 5,300 young people perform in 28 Playmaking Festivals across the country.
RSC Associate Schools Impact Report 2026
You can read all about the work and its impact in the 2026 ASP Impact report below.
The Winter's Tale Playmaking Festival
Back in June, we had the pleasure of welcoming students from across our RSC Associate Schools cluster to Dowdales for our annual Playmaking Festival.
Back in June, we had the pleasure of welcoming students from across our RSC Associate Schools cluster to Dowdales for our annual Playmaking Festival.
Despite the exceptionally hot weather, it was an absolute pleasure to watch our students and their fellow young performers come together to create and perform The Winter’s Tale. The energy, creativity and commitment they brought to the performance were fantastic and it was wonderful to see their hard work come to life on stage.
There is something truly special about our partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Dowdales has been part of the RSC Associate Schools programme for a number of years and we continue to see the incredible opportunities this partnership creates for our students. From workshops and director mentoring to performances and visits to Stratford, our students are given opportunities to develop their confidence, creativity and understanding of Shakespeare in ways that stay with them long after they leave the stage.
Playmaking is also about partnership. Bringing together students and staff from five schools across our Cumbria cluster creates a wonderful sense of community and collaboration. We may be a small cluster, but Cumbria is certainly a powerful one!
