THE Royal Shakespeare Company presents The Merchant of Venice at the Skipton Academy on Wednesday, October 23.

There will be two performances of the play, one in the afternoon for the school, and an evening, public performance, and in addition to the show’s touring cast, six teenagers from schools working with the RSC will be taking part.

Presented in association with the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, as part of the RSC’s partnership with Adobe, it will be an edited, 90 minute version of the play. The tour will include a digital learning experience for the first time, equipping teachers with resources to teach Shakespeare in new, engaging ways using Adobe Spark and Creative Cloud.

Richard McManus, principal of the Skipton Academy, said: “As a school we are thrilled to have the Royal Shakespeare Company visiting our school and enabling our students and our community to access a top quality drama production. The opportunity for our students and staff to work with the RSC is a once in a lifetime experience that will inspire our young people.”

The cast includes Shani Erez making her RSC debut as Shylock, the first time a female actor has played this iconic role for the RSC. Shani is a native Israeli. In addition to her body of work in Israel, her UK theatre credits include Orestes, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. On television, she has appeared in The Honourable Woman, Silent Witness and The Little Drummer Girl.

Tickets for the 7pm public performance on October 23 at £7, available from Skipton Academy, 01756 792965.