The Shakespeare Schools Foundation (SSF) is a UK cultural education charity that has been organizing the Shakespeare Schools Festival, the world’s largest youth drama festival, since 2000. By enabling young people to engage with the timeless language and stories of Shakespeare, SSF helps them gain the self-esteem and confidence to grow and succeed in the future.
 The Festival, held every autumn, involves nearly 30,000 young people between the ages of 7 and 18 from 1,000 schools throughout the UK, including ethnic minority pupils, those living in poverty, and young people with special educational needs. Preliminary workshops are held at each school to train teachers, so it is not necessary for them to be experts on theater or the English language.

 The Festival culminates during a two-month period that three or four schools per night perform abridged Shakespeare plays such as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest in over 130 professional theaters. Over 65,000 people attend these evenings, which often provide their first experience of Shakespeare.
 Ms. Ruth Brock, Chief Executive of the Foundation, says, “Shakespeare’s extraordinary stories and beautiful language really do span the 400 years since they were written. They deal with crucial themes common to the human condition, and offer young people an understanding of love, conflict, war and animosity. This is why we believe Shakespeare remains relevant to our youth today.”
 A student from London who participated in the Festival last year commented, “I came to appreciate the fact that something like Shakespearean language can bring people of different nationalities, ages and abilities together.”
 Over a quarter of a million young people across the UK have participated in the Festival over the past 17 years. In 2016, performances were held at Westminster Abbey and elsewhere to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
 Support has come from some of the most prominent figures in the theater world, including Sir Tom Stoppard (Praemium Imperiale laureate in 2009) and Dame Judi Dench (Praemium Imperiale laureate in 2011). Stoppard adapted The Merchant of Venice for the Festival.
 SSF obtained foundation status in 2016, and according to Mr. Andrew Jackson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, participating schools pay a registration fee that covers about half its costs. A quarter of the costs are covered by box office receipts and commercial activities such as sales of programs and T-shirts, and the remaining 25% comes from fundraising. Mr. Jackson points to the universal relevance of the Foundation’s work with Shakespeare’s plays, saying “The themes of Shakespeare transcend all time. They transcend nationality.”