The BBC today launched ShakeItUp, an online tool that challenges teenagers to get creative and re-mix Shakespeare’s most loved scenes.
ShakeItUp can be found on the BBC’s Mixital website, where audiences can get creative with some of the BBC’s best-known brands like Eastenders and Strictly Come Dancing. ShakeItUp enables users to create and publish their own versions of major scenes from Macbeth, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. They can add new characters, iconic back-drops, objects and write their own dialogue to re-tell, re-invent or modernise the work of the Bard.
Aimed at teenagers, ShakeItUp builds on work done in the classroom and is simple-to-use, requires no technical knowledge and yet is capable of producing a wide range of story types from short to long form. It also helps build digital skills, confidence and creativity, helping young people move from today’s digital consumers to tomorrow’s creators.
Clubs across Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland are being encouraged to share the ShakeItUp tool with schools and youth groups and expands Rotary’s involvement with the Shakespeare legacy. Rotary’s relationship with the Shakespeare Schools Festival has helped thousands of children take to professional stages to celebrate the work of the world’s most famous playwright, with Rotary members donating their time and knowledge to some of the 1,150 schools who took part in 2015.
Martin Wilson, Head of BBC Digital Creativity commented: “BBC Digital Creativity is delighted Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland are championing Mixital’s ShakeItUp to help youngsters in their youth service and communities develop a hands on relationship with some of the Bard’s greatest works.”
Users can compare their work with friends and other Shakespeare lovers online, and look out for the best and most interesting ShakeItUp creations at www.mixital.co.uk, and on Twitter and Facebook.
ShakeItUp is part of Shakespeare Lives, an international online Shakespeare festival celebrating the 400th anniversary of Britain’s most revered playwright. The festival is a unique partnership between the BBC and the British Council together with Shakespeare’s Globe, the British Film Institute, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Hay Festivals and the Royal Opera House.
Published: Monday 23rd May 2016
