A third lockdown in the UK sees schools across the country closed once again. We hope teachers, parents and students are faring well adjusting to the world of Google Classrooms, Microsoft Teams, and all the challenges of homeschooling and virtual classrooms. Even though we’ve been in this situation before, it doesn’t get any easier!

In a bid to make teaching and learning during this period a little brighter, we’re once more thrilled to make our 2020 Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank production of Macbeth available to watch, for free, to schools around the world.

One of the most impactful and longest running cultural education projects in the UK, Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank is our flagship project for secondary and post-16 further education students. Supported by Deutsche Bank as part of Born To Be, their global youth engagement programme which aims to help young people prepare for the future and unlock their potential, Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank sees Shakespeare’s plays adapted in to fast-paced productions with young people in mind.

After the success of Macbeth’s stream on our YouTube channel last year, during the first lockdown in May – July (which had over 470,000 views!), we know how vital it is for students to have free access to filmed staged productions to support their understanding of Shakespeare. A psychological thriller examining the dangers of political ambition, Macbeth is a full-scale, fast-paced 90 minute performance in the Globe Theatre, and is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare and his works.

  How do I watch Macbeth?

Schools across the UK and the world can get their free access to the Macbeth film. You’ll be redirected to a page containing a link to the film and the password needed to access it – make a note of both, and keep these in a safe place!

The link can be shared with your students, so that your classes can have separate access to the film from their own homes.

Macbeth is available to watch until Friday 23 July 2021, 11.59pm (BST).

Our partnership with Deutsche Bank goes beyond just performances. This February 2021 we’ll also be continuing our professional development (CPD) courses for teachers online. Our three-hour dynamic workshop goes hand-in-hand with our Macbeth film, and offers the opportunity to explore strategies for unlocking Shakespeare’s famous text and to develop a practical toolkit.

What’s more, we’re also offering a series of storytelling sessions and workshops for ages 9–12 and 12+ to support this film, that bring this famous tragic tale to life.

Furthermore, we have a host of free resources for Macbeth online to support GCSE and A-Level curricula, that will not only be available during the run of the film, but that will be freely available in the years to come. Our previous award-winning resources for past Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank projects are also still available. Explore key themes, characters, language, blogs and more to unlock a deeper understanding of some of Shakespeare’s most studied plays.

All we can say during this unprecedented time is keep going – you are doing wonders to support your students! We’ll be sure to continue to look for ways to make our resources, research and workshops relevant and accessible to you all in these times of flux.