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Shakespearean actor goes back to school

BBC A man with dark hair, a dark shirt and a dark jacket in a white room with coffee urns behind him, looking at a woman with blond wavy hair and wearing a grey topBBC
Bally Gill left President Kennedy School in Coventry a decade ago

A Shakespearean actor has gone back to his own school as part of a campaign to promote the playwright's work in schools.

Bally Gill left the President Kennedy School in Coventry 10 years ago and has since starred in films, TV dramas and Shakespearean productions.

He is currently acting in Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford upon Avon and said: "Coventry people have a lot to offer and we're the future, these young people are the future."

The RSC said more than 24,000 children will experience Shakespeare's plays next year through its First Encounters programme.

Mr Gill told the children his career in acting "saved me a little bit, because it gave me some focus and drive and passion".

He encouraged pupils to follow in his footsteps and added: "Just watch them."

The RSC said it wanted to show that "Shakespeare is relevant and resonant to their lives.

"It isn't for the elite, it isn't for people that can afford to go to Stratford. We go to you."

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