I am delighted to lend my support to SHAKEPEARIENCE which has a growing track record of making the language of the Bard's plays accessible to young people.

A number of educators and artists persist in believing that Shakespeare has a vital role to play in the classroom and in the emotional and intellectual development of our young.

We understand the world through the words we use about it. Shakespeare provides everyone who comes into contact with his writing with the detail necessary to enhance our understanding of the human condition. A Shakespearean text has the potential to excite, provoke and stimulate minds, be they young or old.

SHAKEPEARIENCE has had considerable success in making the language, characters and themes of Shakespeare's plays understandable by approaching them from an actor's point of view. This critically acclaimed literacy program has succeeded in demystifying the plays of William Shakespeare by appreciating a fundamental truth: that Shakespeare's writing must be approached in a totally different way from the way novels and short stories are read.

I am pleased to be associated with an educational initiative that demonstrates to young people, in a bold, creative, compelling way, why the plays of William Shakespeare have continued to resonate almost four hundred years after his death. I look forward to the company's growth and its continued success and am pleased to be included on its roster.

Kenneth Branagh