In partnership with the Collaborative Outreach Team and ROH Bridge, the University commissioned a tender to develop and deliver an interactive performance of Jekyll of Hyde, to be toured across Bedfordshire’s secondary schools. This was based on local need, with English attainment at GCSE level being below national average, and with the knowledge from Luton Borough Council that Jekyll and Hyde was a consistently studied GCSE text across Bedfordshire schools. After a competitive process, Trestle Theatre Company were given the tender.

Throughout the development process, the show was shared to current University of Bedfordshire students and TestBeds Accelerator Artists. Students from the School of Arts and Creative Industries were paid internships to work with Trestle to co-develop the set design and support the get-in/out of the show within the school setting.

The Culture and Community Engagement team then hosted workshops to ensure the learning from the show was embedded into the local schools, with teachers supported with additional educational resources to continue learning back in the English classroom.