COLLEGE students will learn to tread the boards in authentic Shakespearian style - thanks to two top experts on the bard's plays.

Workshops focusing on Shakespeare and the theatre start at Accrington and Rossendale College on January 19.

Royal Shakespeare Company members Mary Johnson and Maria Evans will run the workshops.

American Mary has a doctorate in theatre arts and currently co-ordinates the RSC's school work

Her work involves making Shakespeare more accessible and exciting for students.

Maria has worked on BBC radio dramas and was head of drama at a college before joining the RSC.

The workshops run for a week and several will be held for high schools and colleges from around East Lancashire.

The public will also get a chance to sample the Shakespearian atmosphere with a lecture by Mary Johnson on January 22.

"Changing Shakespeare, Changing Society" is being held at Whalley Adult Centre, starting at 7.30pm.

English lecturer Ann Yates invited the RSC to the college after attending a Shakespeare summer school in Stratford-upon-Avon.

She said: "It is a wonderful opportunity, not just for our own staff and students, but for teachers and pupils form local schools too.

"We take our students to the theatre several times a year, but for representatives from the country's leading theatre company to visit us is something really special."

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