SHAKESPEARE is a name that has long had the power to drive fear into the heart of the ‘not very English minded’ schoolchild.

And no doubt a few teachers.

It must be rather soul-destroying trying to communicate the nuances of Hamlet or Macbeth to sullen 14-year-old boys who are paying no attention at all as they count down the minutes until they can race home and fire up the Xbox.

Equally as longstanding as the image of Shakespeare as being ‘difficult’ is that of it only being so if you attempt to read it rather than seeing it performed.

You can’t really argue with that once you have seen your first Shakespeare play; it is just something that needs to be seen to be properly understood. But how many kids have never seen it performed?

I had a chat with Playhouse associate director Mark Powell on Thursday, and he made some very good points.

He said that with the pressure on schools these days to adhere to the curriculum and to meet expected standards, there can be little time to take a day out, get on a bus and take the kids to the theatre.

So a child’s perception of a play they are studying may end up simply reflecting the opinion of their teacher, if they even engage enough to form an opinion.

If they do get to see a performance, then it will probably just be that one and, if they don’t like the interpretation, it can put them off more thoroughly than if they hadn’t seen it at all.

Powell also pointed out that the majority of ways in which the human brain picks up on what is happening aren’t to do with the words being said.

If someone is shouting, you don’t need to understand the individual words to know they are angry. If they are crying, you don’t need to hear any words at all to know they are upset.

It’s these thoughts that are behind his Romeo and Juliet Unzipped, which is being performed at the Playhouse next week.

Scenes from the play are presented in various ways, interspersed with discussion, explanation and historical detail.

The language and story aren’t changed – the aim is to show young people the myriad of styles in which the action can be staged, so that each of them can find something in it with which they can identify.

Juliet is portrayed as a subdued, shy young girl who is unsure of herself, but also as a feisty and volatile teen and by a male actor.

The fight scene is done traditionally, but it is also done as a gun stand-off and in Matrix-style.

That’s got to have more chance of getting the attention of a 14-year-old boy than actors sporting doublet and hose.