Reimagining Beowulf
Reimagining Beowulf connects children with poetry. We immerse children into the exciting world of poetry, playwriting and performance, developing their skills, their confidence, and their creative ambitions.
Working with professional writer and theatre director David Napthine, year 6 pupils from Woodhouse Close Community Primary School studied and re-imagined this challenging Old English text, exploring Beowulf’s relevance to the present day and creating their own theatrical response to the poem. The programme culminated with a thrilling performance of the children’s work at in the medieval chapel of Bishop Auckland Castle.
“I can’t say whether any of the children now see themselves with a career in writing. What I can say is that the project opened up possibilities. They took immense pride and pleasure in what they wrote and, more importantly, what they re-wrote. It was in the re-writes that their development – in writing, in confidence, in teamwork, - became apparent…”
David Napthine, writer
“We saw many of our Year 6s grow and blossom through the duration of the project, with many of the children whom we would have considered to be ‘weaker’ at Literacy shine and surpass expectations.“
Woodhouse Primary School
