FOUR hundred schools are taking part in a special scheme as part of a BBC Shakespeare Schools Festival.

The Theatre in Chipping Norton and The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham are just two of 100 theatres taking part in One Night of Shakespeare, where 10,000 performers will put on abridged versions of a dozen Shakespeare plays.

The plays were abridged and animated for the award-winning television series Shakespeare, the Animated Tales and using these scripts, teachers have been able to choose one to perform as part of the schools festival.

Four schools in the Cheltenham and four in the Chipping Norton area will be travelling to the theatres on Sunday, July 3, for the event, sure to provide some interesting versions of the Bard's most popular plays. Tickets are available from the Chipping Norton box office on 01608 642350 (www.chippingnortontheatre.co.uk) or from the Everyman on 01242 572573.