Schoolchildren take to the stage to perform Shakespeare The festival began last Wednesday, October 23, with schools in different cities performing simultaneously. Each evening four plays are showcased: one London premiere opened at the Shaw Theatre. Shazna Begum, 15, from Clapton Girls' Academy in Hackney, played Iago in an adaptation of Othello. Introduced to drama through the Barbican Box scheme, she prepared for the SSF after school with her class: "I've learnt a lot more about the language used," she told me. She felt that performance gave her a way into a character's mind: "When you're on stage you can be as wild as you want to be; you can understand how the characters are feeling more than if you were just reading." The SSF, a charity funded by trusts, donations and organisations, is now into its 13th year and has a list of high profile patrons including Philip Pullman, Kevin Spacey, Dame Judi Dench and Alan Yentob. Monica Kiggundu, 10, and Taejha McKenzie, 9, from Vauxhall and Wyvil primary schools performed in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Monica, who played Puck, enjoyed the experience but added, "the words are very difficult" - something National Theatre director and SSF patron Sir Nicholas Hytner seems to agree with. Taejha added: "At first I was nervous, but once you start it goes really quickly. It was great. Teacher Natalie Graham co-directed Monica and Taejha's class. It is Ms Graham's third successive year taking part in the festival and she is always surprised at how easily the pupils learn their lines. The children get a lot out of the festival: confidence and the opportunity to work with other children. They don't usually work with Shakespeare, so it's a head start for them before they go to high school. Since an overhaul of the national curriculum will see students studying more Shakespeare, this opportunity to perform modern reworkings, enabling them to make the plays their own, is to be welcomed. Rozina Sabur tweets @RozinaSabur Also by the author: English Literature: exploring identity at school Check out the Telegraph's Student Life section