Prince Charles won over by young actors

Children from a primary school in William Shakespeare's home town brought a smile to the Prince of Wales' face yesterday with their own interpretation of Twelfth Night.

The youngsters from Stratford-upon-Avon's Shottery School were warmly applauded by Prince Charles following their 15-minute performance at the town's Courtyard Theatre.

The 19-strong troupe of boys and girls, aged 11 and 12, were then given a chance to chat to the Prince, who was visiting the theatre in his capacity as president of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The unusual production, which featured modern and traditional music, was one of a series staged at the venue by 12 local schools involved in the RSC's Theatre Link Project.

As part of the scheme, RSC education practitioners have been visiting the schools since September, helping students transform their interpretations of the events in Twelfth Night into scripts.

Speaking after Shottery Primary's children were given the chance to chat and shake hands with the Prince, their teacher, Val Cubitt, revealed they perfected their play in just five weeks.

The teacher, who also met the Prince, added: "He said how much he had enjoyed it and he complimented the children on their individual pieces."

Shottery's performance blended the children's words with those of Shakespeare to create their own script inspired by the events in Twelfth Night, the Bard's comedy of mistaken identity.

Around 300 children from eight primary and four secondary schools in the area took part in the Theatre Link scheme.

Prince Charles also met aspiring actors and actresses during his hour-long visit to the theatre, speaking to apprentices working across different RSC departments.