A GROUP of school thespians are taking to the stage as part of the annual Shakespeare Schools’ Festival.

Pupils from Goole Academy are to take to the professional stage at Hull Truck Theatre for a public performance of their abridged version of, Julius Caesar, on Friday (October 24).

The national scheme sees hundreds of schools work with theatre professionals to devise and perform 30-minute versions of the Shakespeare repertoire and Goole Academy performers have attended a number of workshops designed to hone their skills prior to the public performance.

Drama Teacher Laura Cracknell said: “The festival is a fantastic opportunity for young people to work with industry experts from professional theatres and with actors and directors from the London based Central School of Speech and Drama.

“It is hugely exciting for them to perform the end result in front of their friends, family and other members of the public too. It gives them a real taste of professional theatre from the other side of the curtain.”