Over the last couple of months, we have received incredible submissions from young people who have entered our What You Will competition. From handwritten speeches and intricate artwork to naturalistic vlogs and expressive melodic songs. We have witnessed storytelling in all its forms!

Young people aged 8-25 have worked tirelessly to create, play, and bring new light to some of Shakespeare’s lesser-known or silent characters. We have also seen some of the most famous characters in new light, going behind the curtain of ‘traditional’ portrayals and breaking the rules to give life to these characters and stories.

When we launched the competition back in April 2023, we didn’t realise how far our work and impact could reach. All that changed as we witnessed first-hand the transformative power of Shakespeare’s stories in action, proving that ‘All the world’s a stage’. Whilst the competition was open to young people in the UK, What You Will inspired children all over the globe to create a new speech for a Shakespeare character. We were delighted to receive entries from the young people at The White School Kadalundi Nagaram in India as a response to the competition, and to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the First Folio being published.

Their teacher said, “We may not be from the UK, but certainly our students love the work of the Bard and have put in tremendous effort to master a language that is not native to them.”

We would like to congratulate and thank the young people of The White School Kadalundi Nagaram, India for sharing their incredibly creative What You Will responses with us. You have shown that Shakespeare is for EVERYONE!