New Scene by Scene hub launches on the Shakespeare Archive
What if you could access key Shakespeare scenes instantly and make teaching his plays simpler, more engaging and closer to performance?
We’re excited to launch the new Scene by Scene hub on the Shakespeare Archive, created to help teachers and students explore Shakespeare in more accessible ways. Suitable for teaching GCSE English Literature and Drama in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and National 4/5 in Scotland, the hub is designed to bring the plays to life, one scene at a time.
What the hub offers
The hub features curated clips from full-length productions, including Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Each clip aligns with key scenes and themes from the curriculum from Macbeth’s “Is this a dagger” soliloquy to the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet.
By breaking each play into short, accessible segments, the hub helps teachers focus on specific learning goals such as characterisation, performance and interpretation.
Why it matters
Many teachers face the challenge of making Shakespeare accessible to students who may struggle with the language, context or performative dimension of the plays. As one school case-study shared, the ability to show a performance of a taught scene helps learners grasp tone, character and meaning far more effectively than text alone.
By offering selectable scenes, the hub helps simplify lesson planning, allowing teachers to pick and play the exact moment they want to explore, rather than needing to show a full production or hunt through long videos.
Explore the full Scene by Scene hub on the Shakespeare Archive.