A group of Norfolk school pupils are to share the stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company for a special production celebrating the life of the great wordsmith.

The 30 young people from Sprowston High School have been picked to appear in the Norwich performances of the RSC's touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Play For The Nation which is marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

They will join the RSC when it brings the Shakespearean comedy about romance, magic and mischief to Norwich Theatre Royal in April, and will play Queen Titania's Fairy Train.

Sprowston High School teacher Anna Lawrence, who is leading the project at the school with Debbie Money, said the pupils were thrilled to be taking part and looking forward to working on their scenes.

'We are going to be learning a song and exploring movement ideas, and the RSC is sending us directors to set the children into the production. They will be spending several days with us in school,' she said. 'We have already had busy after-school workshops with the 30 Year 7 children where we have been telling the story of A Midsummer Night's Dream and looking at the characters such as Titania and Oberon and Puck.'

Sprowston High School is one of a number of schools taking part nationwide. Jacqui O'Hanlon, the RSC's director of education, said: '2016 is a very special year as we celebrate the legacy of a man whose work, 400 years on, is still studied and performed the world over.

There are so many ways schools can join in our celebrations throughout 2016 – big and small – but we are thrilled that for the first time schoolchildren from all over the UK will get the chance to appear alongside RSC actors as part of our 2016 touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

The show will be at Norwich Theatre Royal from April 26 to 30. Visit www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Do you have an arts story? Email arts correspondent Emma Knights at emma.knights@archant.co.uk