In 2013 Bell Shakespeare, Australia’s national theatre company specialising in Shakespeare in performance, education and community settings, formalised their primary Shakespeare programme. The programme includes in-school performances of Shakespeare’s plays specially scripted for young audiences, immersive workshops and teacher professional learning opportunities.

The authors share their own early experiences with Shakespeare before discussing why adults and secondary students sometimes develop negative perceptions of Shakespeare’s works. The potential of introducing Shakespeare in primary contexts is then explored. The findings from initial exploratory research with participant teachers and students in three diverse schools together with the perspectives and experiences of the Company suggest primary children readily engage with Shakespeare’s stories, characters and language. Many of the themes resonate with young learners’ lives and imaginations. Finally, Bell Shakespeare’s arts-rich pedagogy and principles for optimising the introduction of Shakespeare’s work to primary students are detailed.