Shakespeare Society
One of our main goals as a society is to make Shakespeare more accessible, and this grant has enabled us to do so by helping us to keep ticket costs low, and to support and provide opportunities to people who are new to student theatre and theatre in general.
- Eleanor Nicholson (25-26 Treasurer, Shakespeare Society)
Grant Type
Club Grant (2025-26) & (2024-25)
What the Grant Supported
Club Grant awarded funding for venue hire and technical costs needed to host the UnBard Festival in March 2026, supporting an event that provided an opportunity for student performers, writers, and directors to showcase their work to a wider audience.
"The grant funding has enabled the society to continue running the festival, which is one of their key outreach events for engaging new students. The event contributed to increased membership, with many attendees expressing interest in becoming involved with the society in the future. By covering the shortfall in venue costs, the grant also allowed us to maintain affordable ticket prices, improving accessibility and encouraging wider participation."
Long-Term Impacts
- Provides a platform for new performers, writers, and directors to showcase their work to a large audience.
- The grant has enabled the society to continue offering an introductory opportunity for emerging creatives.
- Previous participants have gone on to write larger productions for other societies and perform in or direct mainstage shows.
- The event acts as a key introduction to the society, helping students engage with its activities.
- It represents one of the society's largest opportunities for membership growth and expanding participation.
Inclusivity & Accessibility
"This grant enabled us to keep ticket costs low, increasing accessibility. It is also specifically designed to be a low stakes event for newcomers to Shakespeare and theatre, and the grant enables us to provide a high-quality experience for them with less exclusivity than a mainstage"
Lessons Learned
"With the security this grant provides, we learned that it is possible to prioritise the experience of newcomers to Shakespeare and to theatre over the costs of the event, which has been extremely positive. We also learnt about intersections between different aspects of the SRC, which we will be able to bear in mind if applying for grants in future that will hopefully expedite the process"
Additional SRC Support Provided
- Received guidance and support from the SRC Clubs Team throughout the event planning and grant process.
- Promoted the event and sold tickets through the SRC website.
Would Your Society Apply for an SRC Grant Again?
"Yes, this grant was immensely helpful to us, and we will absolutely consider applying again next year. This grant has helped us to feel more confident in our ability to continue to grow our membership and to provide high quality opportunities to said members. We are very thankful to the SRC for their generosity!"