There were 180 players in 2 nights in November   proudly performing in their abridged play in this year’s MANCEP Shakespeare Festival.

Established in November 2012, and hosted in Loreto College’s Ellis and Kennedy Theatre,  the MANCEP Shakespeare Festival is a celebration of youth performance and of the very special partnership of MANCEP. As a community, we believe that such a collaborative venture will strengthen the relationships of Manchester schools, students and staff.

In this, its eighth year, eight participating institutions worked together to present some of Shakespeare’s finest plays: St Matthew’s RC High School and engineering college (Romeo & Juliet), St. Peter’s RC High School (Much Ado about Nothing ), St Paul’s (Famous Speeches), Our Lady’s RC High School (Taming of the Shrew), The Barlow (Comedy of Errors), Loreto High School (Macbeth), Xaverian College (The Tempest) and Loreto Sixth Form (Measure for Measure). This year we had the wind ensemble, jazz band and piano circus perform Shakespeare inspired music in the interval.

Danny Price, Coordinator said “it is so special to have young people, ages ranging between 11-18 performing Shakespeare with confidence and I want to thank the staff from all 8 institutions who collaborated and allowed our young people to challenge themselves to tackle Shakespeare and be part of a very special community”.

Plans are already underway for Festival 2020. Watch this space!