Shakespeare & Violence Prevention in London
In mid-April, two 91ý scholars traveled to London to learn about the overseas impact of the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program - an interdisciplinary partnership between the university’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (), and the Department of Theatre & Dance (THDN). The Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program has reached nearly 150,000 Colorado K-12 students since 2011, and is the subject of a new book by Dr. Amanda Giguere:.The trip was made possible by the, theCenter for Humanities & the Arts, theOffice for Public and Community Engaged Scholarship, and generous CSF donors.
When we learned that Shakespeare’s Globe in London had adapted our Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program for their Playing Shakespeare production ofRomeo and Juliet, we had to see it for ourselves. Now celebrating its 20th year, the Playing Shakespeare series, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, provides 33,000 free and subsidized tickets annually for London youth to attend an abridged Shakespeare play at the Globe.
For this year’s production ofRomeo and Juliet, the Globe invited London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to advise on the production. The result was a powerful reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy that connected a 16th-century story to contemporary concerns about violence, belonging, and community wellbeing.
Dr. Beverly Kingston (left) and Amanda Giguere (right) at a production of "Romeo and Juliet" at Shakespeare's Globe in Southbank, London. The production was adapted from Shakespeare and Violence Prevention programming at the University of Colorado Boulder.
At the Globe, Education Director Lucy Cuthbertson shared how she incorporated violence prevention principles into the Playing Shakespeare series after learning about our 91ý model. Our conversations with Globe staff and VRU leaders reinforced lessons we see repeatedly in research: violence prevention depends on trusted adults, positive school climates, meaningful relationships, and addressing root causes. Shakespeare’s plays bring these ideas to life, helping audiences connect with complex issues not only intellectually but emotionally.
Our time in London confirmed that theShakespeare & Violence Prevention initiative is flourishing beyond Colorado, becoming part of a growing international movement that sees arts education as a powerful tool for public health, violence prevention, and community connection.
As interest in this work increases, and we see a growing need to address the wellbeing and mental health of young people, this is a defining moment toexpand and scale the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program in ways that result in systemic change. We aim to deepen the program’s impact and community engagement, cultivate and sustain more meaningful partnerships, and measure the impact of arts education on a community’s climate.
We are exploring a “gold standard” school partnership model that combines performances, classroom activities, teacher training, and rigorous evaluation. Rather than delivering one-time experiences,our goal is to cultivate lasting cultures of belonging, empathy, and connection within schools and communities. A comprehensive model will integrate multi-level engagement, with the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention troupe performing onsite in schools across the state, professional development for teachers in the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention model, and subsidized tickets to bring underserved community partners to the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s historic Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre to experience the magic of theatre under the stars.
Achieving this broader vision will require philanthropic partnership and comprehensive collaboration. It will also require educators, researchers, artists, community leaders, and generous supporters who believe that prevention is possible and that young people deserve opportunities to thrive.
We are inspired by Deutsche Bank’s long-term support of the Globe’s educational work and are eager to build similar partnerships that can help expand access to schools and communities across Colorado and beyond.
As we prepare for another year of bringing Shakespeare’s stories to Colorado students, we are excited for what lies ahead. Our experience in London reinforced something we have long believed: violence prevention is not only about reducing risk. It is also about creating opportunities for connection, belonging, empathy, and hope.
Through Shakespeare & Violence Prevention, young people are invited to see themselves in stories that have endured for centuries, explore difficult questions, and imagine different possibilities for their lives and communities. When paired with caring adults, meaningful dialogue, and supportive environments, the arts can help create the conditions for young people to thrive.
The question is no longer whether Shakespeare can contribute to violence prevention. We have seen that it can. The question is how we can continue working together to ensure that more young people have access to these transformative experiences and the communities of support they deserve.
Dr. Beverly Kingston is the Director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, and author of the forthcoming memoir:Soulshine: A Memoir of Courage, Healing, and Hope.
Dr. Amanda Giguere is the Director of Outreach for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and author ofShakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators.
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More about Shakespeare’s Globe’s production ofRomeo and Juliet
Set in present-day London, the production opened with a street fight interrupted by law enforcement. Friar Laurence’s cell became a youth center where young people could gather, connect, and find support. The production emphasized the trauma of witnessing violence, the burdens placed on young people, and the possibility of healing through community connection. Most moving was the final image: two grieving mothers embracing as they mourned their children together. The moment captured a central truth of violence prevention: that healing happens when communities come together to acknowledge loss and create new pathways forward.