This guide investigates how to effectively integrate the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance-based pedagogy into the secondary school classroom to enhance student engagement with Shakespearean drama. The text is developed by Oxford University Press in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company, utilizing established performance techniques to bridge the gap between archaic text and modern student comprehension. It provides a structured framework for educators to facilitate active learning, moving beyond traditional lecture-based analysis to foster a deeper, more visceral understanding of the play's themes and language.

Educators frequently identify this series as a standard resource for secondary school English curricula due to its focus on performance-based learning. Experts highlight the guide's utility in demystifying Shakespearean language for students who are encountering the plays for the first time.