Shakespeare

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Shakespeare's Sonnets come alive in Will and Whimsy: Sixteen Dramatically Illustrated Sonnets of Shakespeare by Alan Haehnel where modern scenes play hand in hand with the original text. Very flexible casting. Shakespeare stands before you with a book of his 154 sonnets. Will you read them? No way! Shakespeare isn’t meant to be just read. He’s meant to be performed, loved, fought for… lived. If the language feels overwhelming, start with Will and Whimsy. Modern scenes meet the original text, and the sonnets come alive. No bleeding required. Promise. Why did we publish this play?Shakespeare is meant to be performed and sometimes you need a doorway to get students to engage and connect. Will and Whimsy is just that door. The play looks at sixteen sonnets both in their original form and in modern scenes that illuminate what Shakespeare is trying to say. You get moments that are poignant, heartbreaking, comedic, and everything in-between. It’s perfect for competition because of its flexible casting, flexible length (you can cut and rearrange the sonnets as you choose) and easy staging. In short, we love how this play brings Shakespeare to life and how you'll be able to do the same. Let's hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play/collection?I have long loved Shakespeare's sonnets, particularly for the way they use elegant language to describe timeless emotions and situations. I wanted to create a play that would help people appreciate the sonnets by pairing them with contemporary scenes. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences?To quote another famous text: There is nothing new under the sun. (But, I would add, there are endless ways to describe those not-new things!). 3. What's the most important visual for you in this play/collection?A juxtaposition of a classically-dressed Bard next to characters in contemporary costumes. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play/collection - or studying it with their class - what would it be?Make certain that the person or people playing the Bard really understand every word of the sonnet they are reciting. It should be delivered with intention, with a need to communicate an important concept. And sometimes, if the sonnet calls for it, with humor! 5. Why is this play/collection great for student performers?Whenever students can have an opportunity to use poetic language as profound as Shakespeare's, it's a win. But when you can mix the poetic and classical with brief contemporary scenes featuring a lot of action and humor, then you really have a rich, multi-faceted theatrical opportunity! 6. Who is your favourite character in the play/collection?I'd love to be the Bard. 7. What is your favourite line in the play/collection?"If this be error, and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

As April takes centre stage, we're diving into the world of all things Shakespeare. With incredible plays, adaptations and playful parodies, we're here to help you bring the world of Shakespeare to life, whether it's in your classroom or on the stage. So grab your favourite quill and parchment, and let's celebrate the Bard's birthday in style with these phenomenal plays!

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * You don’t want to miss this one act annotated version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare’s magical tale of mischievous fairies, and love potions (cutting and notes by Lindsay Price from the original by Shakespeare). The classic tale of mischievous fairies and love, set in the Athenian woods. Great blend of comedy and romance. ““What a triumph! Thank you SOOO much for this rendition of Midsummer – it was brilliant, and my students adored it.”” ~Debra Gress, SCH Academy| Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you adapt and annotate this play? It’s one of Shakespeare’s most accessible works and the characters are fabulous to play. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The appearance and reality of love and relationships. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? That first moment when Bottom appears with a donkey’s head instead of his own and the chaos that erupts among the mechanicals! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Don’t get so caught up in the unfamiliar language that you forget character development. Shakespeare creates vivid characters. Make sure students understand who they’re playing, what they want, and how they’re going to get what they want. Then make sure everyone understands every word they’re saying. Comprehension and character go hand in hand with Shakespeare. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Character, character, character! Fun characters to physicalize, relationships to explore, and a love potion to create chaos. Get your copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ _right here, right now!Interested in studying this play with your class? Don't miss our FREE classroom study guide! Not right for your group right now? Search our play catalogue to find one that your performers will love!

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * If you believe that Shakespeare’s characters deserve to celebrate the holidays too, then the “what if” holiday extravaganza, Shakespeare’s Super Snowy Seasonal Sleigh Ride Stage Show! by Lindsay Price is for you! Shakespeare’s characters are festive. Very festive. And they deserve to be part of the corporate machine that celebrates the holidays every year! Perhaps there are some characters who don’t exactly make the right choices that would fit the seasonal spirit… but if we can overlook that, so can you. Huzzah! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I love putting literary characters in situations they’d never find themselves in. How do their personality and behaviours translate into different scenarios? 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. A holiday themed “what if” extravaganza. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? It’s not a visual, but the most important piece of the play are the character wants. Every single character, even if they only have a moment on stage, wants something. Bottom desperately wants to take over as host. Peaseblossom wants to be inclusive and detailed and if there was an informational slide deck, they wouldn’t be unhappy. Verges wants to eat 12 grapes and Dogberry wants nothing to do with it. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Have fun, play the extremes of the character personalities, don’t use blackouts, and do a little googling to find out why all three witches are named Janet. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? The play offers a great introduction to some iconic characters. The holidays will never be the same! 6. Why is this play great for online performances? Acting is acting whether it’s on stage, 6ft apart or in a tiny screen box. Focus on character, communication, and conflict and you’ll be great. Get your copy of _Shakespeare’s Super Snowy Seasonal Sleigh Ride Stage Show! _right here, right now!Not right for your group right now? Search our play catalogue to find one that your performers will love!

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Shakespeare’s Bachelorette by Lea Marshall is the Shakespeare / Dating show mash-up you’ve been waiting for – complete with video/social distancing options. Kate is looking for a date and her options are somewhat limited. Hamlet is pretty focused on his step-dad, Macbeth keeps trying to grab a dagger from above Kate’s head, and why does Iago keep giving her a handkerchief? Oberon seems to think he’s going to win the show and it has nothing to do with that purple flower… Why did we publish this play? I love plays that show Shakespearean characters out of context but fully behaving as they would in their original story. So why not take a well known reality show and see if Oberon, Hamlet, Caesar, and Romeo make great dates? (Spoiler alert: they don’t). This play is full on fun and a great introduction to Shakespeare all at the same time. Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I had just finished watching the Bachelor, we were reading Shakespeare in all of my classes, and my Honors class wanted to perform an original fun Shakespeare piece for our upcoming Shakespeare-ience showcase. It seemed like a no brainer to put everything together in a crazy mash up. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. True love is never found on reality TV and the only thing stranger than reality TV “love story” is a Shakespeare love story. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The over the top modern day feel of all these characters as reality TV characters. I can see them all in their dressed to impress best, each with a slight costume hat tip to their story: Romeo as a skater boy, Oberon with a floral shirt, Caesar with some red polka dotted shirt, Macbeth trying to look royal and yet innocent, Iago with a hundred pieces of cloth sticking out from every pocket… 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? HAVE FUN! Know your character’s story and really imagine how they might act on the Bachelorette TV show. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Anyone can play anyone. Plus all those commercials are really fun for new performers. There are parts for first time performers and seasoned performers and everyone in between. 6. Do you have any tips for those who are performing this play online? If you can find true love on the internet, you can do a play on the internet! This could definitely be done by Zoom. Or with small groups (pods) doing the commercials and filming those to show in between the episodes. There is only one scene with a larger group of characters onstage. So everything else could be very socially distanced blocked with small groups of students.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Postcards from Shakespeare by Allison Williams is so much more than your typical Shakespeare spoof. Your budding Bards will have a lot of fun with this one-act comedy! Shakespeare has writer’s block. Nothing inspires him. The best he can come up with is “Now is the winter of our irritation!” He pleads to the one person who can help him – Queen Elizabeth the First. Queen Lizzy, who could be a writer herself if she weren’t so busy crushing the Welsh, sends Shakespeare around the world in 30 minutes. Denmark! Venice! Egypt! Join his whirlwind tour as he desperately searches for material. Star-crossed lovers! Surprise death! Shipwrecks! Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark… Why did we publish this play? Shakespeare spoofs are more than frivolous comedies. They give students a much greater understanding of the original text, for both actors and audience, once they’ve done or seen a spoof. That’s important. Postcards From Shakespeare covers so much ground. It opens a window to Shakespeare to allow students to understand the plays and have some fun with them. It gives us a peak into the genesis of the writing process. And it provides an opportunity to visit plays that schools can never do or would never visit, in a wonderful comedic fashion. There’s all that and more! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? Because I love the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and I waited ten years to come up with my own spin on the idea of “all the plays in one go.” I wanted to make a version that was shorter and could have a larger cast, specifically for students. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. When you’ve got an audience or a reader you really care about, writing something worthy of them is an act of love. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? If the production pulls off the chaos of the last few pages, in which so many individual moments are happening within a swirl of activity, it’s a thing of beauty. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? This play is CHALLENGING. There’s a million entrances and exits. Actors are playing five characters apiece if you’re doubling, or the cast has up to 80 people without doubling. Two of the greatest monologues from Shakespeare are delivered at the same time, while the stage is full of other things. There are a ton of props, and each one has to be visually clear to the audience as a joke. And there are so. many. “in-jokes” for people who love Shakespeare. That said, have fun with it—and the best way to have fun with it is to know it backwards and forwards so that the show can be executed with both great precision and passionate emotion. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because if you have a huge cast, everyone gets to do a joke, and if you cast it with the minimum or close to it, it’s a wonderful acting challenge for advanced students to show strong, immediate characterization.

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * Hamlette by Allison Williams is a fantastic competition piece for student performers that takes Shakespeare and turns it on its ear. Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! This play is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale. Why spend four hours telling the story when five actors can get the job done in thirty minutes? Elsinore has never been this funny! Why did we publish this play? We first published Hamlette in 2001 and we’ve been a fan of Allison’s work ever since. She knows how to twist Shakespeare into a pretzel and make you look at the text in a new light. For example, what if Hamlet was played by a girl? Turns out it fares quite well and not only that, Hamlette takes 30 minutes to tell the story instead of four hours. Love it! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I first wrote Hamlette for a cast of apprentice performers at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival. I needed something short, that an audience would find funny enough to sit and watch for 30 minutes in the hot sun. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. What Hamlette is about, in a lot of ways, is insisting on one’s own identity. Not just in terms of gender, but the idea that young people are at a time to “try on” different identities and explore who they really are. Often, parents dismiss this as “going through a phase” (as Gertrude does to Hamlette!) but I think it’s valuable to experience different ways of relating to one’s peers, different interests and hobbies, and it builds empathy for others, even the groups we end up not staying part of. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I just love the Laertes/Ophelia switch, and what a fun moment that is for the actor to whip around and do a completely different characterization. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Talk slower and pick up your cues faster. This feels like a contradiction, but comedy is all about timing, and it’s important for actors to react quickly, but speak distinctly and while being in their moment. With comedy, if you miss a cue, it looks like someone forgot, where in drama you can pass it off as a moment of deep thought. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Because it’s a small cast and a short play, it’s easy to rehearse in a class period. Plus, Hamlette’s concerns are so identifiable: I’m not happy about my parent remarrying, I’m sad someone died, I think my significant other is insincere, I’m worried my best friend is going to betray me, I keep getting advice from adults who don’t know me very well. Totally the student experience.

If you’re looking for a great introduction to Shakesepearean performance, including some cross-curricular opportunities, The Comedy of Errors (cutting and notes by John Minigan from the original by Shakespeare) should be part of your classroom. With this adaptation, each page has a sidebar with word translations, acting tips, and character suggestions. Two sets of twins, separated at birth, end up in the same town. A comedy of errors and mistaken identity ensues. “I gave you the money! You promised me a chain. Why did you lock me out? You ate dinner at home. Where’s my money? Where’s my chain? Demons and ghosts surround us!” A great combination of Shakespeare, physical action, and slapstick humour. The drama students at Centennial Middle School in Montrose, CO had a great introduction to Shakespeare with their performance of The Comedy of Errors. Drama teacher Jamie Gann was thrilled to share their success and even offered up some tips to help people with future productions: “This one-act adaptation was the perfect fit for my middle school students doing a Shakespeare play for the first time. My cast included 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and the show was a tremendous success. TIP: Your Syracuse twins need to be your strongest actors in this adaptation, they have by far the most demanding amount of lines and action.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark by Chris Stiles is a gruesomely comic adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. It blends the original text with new, zombified dialogue, with much of the new text written in the iambic tradition of Shakespeare. Denmark is plagued with zombies led by Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, the current king of Denmark. When Hamlet learns from his zombified father the plot of his uncle – a plan to turn Denmark into a land of the undead – Hamlet knows he must stop him! Or not. If he could only be sure… Why did we publish this play? If you want to open the door to Shakespeare, sometimes you need to use a zombie or two…. and the fabulous thing about this play is that the zombies aren’t just shoe-horned into the story because its trendy. Chris has made them work within the existing story. It’s amazing how the zombie theme fits into Hamlet – the undead already has a presence with Hamlet Sr roaming the castle walls. Further to that, Chris has put a lot of work into blending the original text with new zombified dialogue. All grunts and groans are in iambic pentameter, of course. It didn’t take us more than a few pages to know this was a great play. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I had spent a week at an event for English and Drama teachers called Camp Shakespeare at Kansas State University. It was 12 hours a day of Shakespeare for five straight days, and we did a ton of Hamlet. It was so packed into my head, I had no choice but to sit down and write something Shakespearean. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. “How to deal with your stupid parents, when one of them is not your real dad and is also a zombie.” 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I think, like the real Shakespeare plays, set is secondary. And while a zombie costume is important – I’ve seen some incredible zombie pics from productions around the world – the most important visual is to act like a zombie, move like a zombie, walk like a zombie. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Take liberties with Yorick! If you stick to the script, he is funny, but he can be outrageously funny. I had the privilege of playing Yorick myself in one production. Being the playwright, I didn’t have to worry about going too far off script. I gave Yorick props, and at any point in the script Yorick was given the stage, he took advantage of it, performing all sorts of zombie jester acts. The best part was after Hamlet dies, I had Yorick kill himself in grief, only to rise from the dead to announce (in Zombie talk) that he had staged his suicide as a big practical joke. And while demonstrating how he fooled everyone, he accidentally stabs himself and dies. I encourage anyone who takes on Yorick to go crazy with improvisation. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s a great introduction to the greatest play of all time, and it’s a way to see that iambic pentameter isn’t necessarily Shakespearean. And it’s fun!

Both hilarious and touching, Football Romeo by Lindsay Price will appeal to those who love Shakespeare, those who fear Shakespeare, and those who’ve never heard of Shakespeare. The new drama teacher at Verona Beach High is directing Romeo and Juliet. Nicola is certain she will be the perfect Juliet and her linebacker boyfriend the perfect Romeo. Too bad life isn’t perfect! Sparks fly when Danny, the self-professed drama geek, is chosen over the linebacker. Nicola cries foul and demands the play be recast. Not only must Danny fight his insecurities as a performer and his brother treating him as a science experiment, he must also fight to keep the role of a lifetime. Director Julie Patrick from Johnston City High School in Johnston City, Illinois was thrilled to share the success of her talented group with their production of Football Romeo: “I would say our performance was a hit; we had a nice crowd both nights of the show. I directed it back in 2008 and chose to put it on again this spring. The references to Romeo and Juliet and Lord of the Flies are wonderful since my freshmen read both of those pieces. We have no actual theater or auditorium or even civic center in our town, so we convert our commons/cafeteria into a little theater, but we make it work!”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. _Mmmbeth _by Allison Williams is a hilarious gender-bending take on the Scottish play that is a fantastic adaptation for high school and middle school student performers. Everything goes wrong. The witches take over the storytelling, Queen Duncan would rather open a donut franchise than die, Lady M’s a bloodthirsty June Cleaver, and the murderers are preoccupied with creating a commercial for their services. Why did we publish this play? Sometimes all it takes is the right hook for students to connect to Shakespeare. _Mmmbeth _is just that hook. A parody of The Scottish Play, Allison follows the track of original tragic story but makes the whole thing a bold and raucous comedy. Who knew Shakespeare was so much fun! King Duncan is now Queen Duncan and refuses to leave the play, even after she’s killed. Lady M is a blood thirsty June Cleaver. The murderers are obsessed with making commercials. The point is that students can get a grasp of the story, have fun with the story, and open a door to reading the original. Allison also plays with the theatre conventions and mysteries surrounding the original name – don’t say his name on stage or you might get trampled by a hoard of marathon runners! Let’s hear from the author!1. Why did you write this play? I was working with a school in El Dorado Arkansas, and they wanted to do something light and fun for their competition. I wrote the original draft in five days, they rehearsed it for a week, and took it to competition. Kids were learning the last of their lines in the car on the way there! 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. What goes around comes around. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? A cool little side area for the witches to have as their witchy grotto. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? I’m excited to update and rewrite this one, so if you come up with a good joke in rehearsal, send it to me! And have fun with costumes – this one you can pull just about anything out of storage and have it work. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? We really do cover all of the original play, which is one of my favorites. So this is a great introduction to how fundamentally whacko a lot of Shakespeare’s plays are.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. The Tragicomedy of Julia Caesar by Dave Hammers is a fantastic adaptation that lets students have a great time with Shakespeare – all while letting the audience see what’s going on behind the scenes. Sarah and Dave think it would be fun to direct a play for drama club. And they both love Julius Caesar. What could go wrong? How about a drama diva who wants to play the lead, wants her way with the story, and wants a post-death dance number? Rome is now in Georgia, Brutus is allergic to peanut butter, and there might be a giant killer robot on his way to crush Caesar’s enemies. Nothing wrong at all. Why did we publish this play? Parodies are tricky. You can play them totally wacky. Or you can find the balance between taking a story way left of centre and still find a genuine quality to the story. The Tragicomedy of Julia Caesar has that balance, and better still a million parts for girls in a Shakespeare play that is pretty bereft of female characters. And on that note, this play has character, character, and more character. The best comedies are always based in strong characters who when they go after what they want, chaos ensues. You’ll never see Rome….Georgia in the same way again. This full length is easy to stage, incredibly fun to play and a great way to open the door to Shakespeare. Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? The year before I wrote it, my school put on a parody of Hamlet, and as we were staging the production, I honestly just kept saying to myself “I could do this, I could take a Shakespeare play and write a parody of it.” And so once we were finished, I sat down and tried to write one myself, and Julia Caesar was the result. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. I think the major theme is the “chaotic fun” that surrounds a school play production. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Brutus eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, placing it calmly back on the plate, and then falling face first into it as she “dies.” 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Have fun with it. It really is all about the fun and craziness that often surrounds putting on a play production at a school. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? It’s fun, it allows the students to be their dramatic selves, and also helps them to learn a little about Shakespeare and Roman history as well.

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Cobweb Dreams by Lindsay Price is a fun-filled fantasy, filled with friendship and fairies. A great play for high school and middle school students that runs parallel to the events of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cobweb is not having a good time as part of Titania’s train. She dreams of a life where she plays pranks all day long and doesn’t have to be a stuffy, stuck-up fairy in waiting. If only it was a simple as crossing the brook to be part of Oberon’s train! But life in the woods is not simple. The King and Queen fight tooth and nail, Cobweb fights to make her dreams come true, and her friends fight to keep her from being turned into a toadstool. A mortal with a donkey head has wandered into the grove and the flower fairies blame Cobweb. Oh will this midsummer night never end? Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? Adaptation is my favourite form of writing, and I’ve always been a little obsessed with the four lines that the fairies have in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What’s happening with the fairies, when the other stories are taking place? 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. A fun-filled forest fantasy about friendship, self-image, and fairies. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The different fairy groups were such fun to write because they each have distinct traits: The water fairies are bubbly, the flower fairies are snobby and the woodland fairies are down to earth tomboys. Creating the look for each will give you a wonderful visual landscape tot he piece. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? This is a character driven fantasy piece so focus on those two elements. Make each fairy group unique physically and have fun with the costumes! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? At the heart of it, the play is about friendships and figuring out who you really are. These are great themes for students to explore whether or not they’re in the context of a Shakespeare story!

Cobweb Dreams by Lindsay Price is a fun-filled fantasy that runs parallel to the events of Shakespeare’s_ A Midsummer Night’s Dream._ Available in full length or one-act versions, this movement-based Shakespearean comedy is a fun-filled play that your middle school and high school students won’t want to miss. Cobweb is not having a good time as part of Titania’s train. She dreams of a life where she plays pranks all day long and doesn’t have to be a stuffy, stuck-up fairy in waiting. If only it was a simple as crossing the brook to be part of Oberon’s train! But life in the woods is not simple. The King and Queen fight tooth and nail, Cobweb fights to make her dreams come true, and her friends fight to keep her from being turned into a toadstool. A mortal with a donkey head has wandered into the grove and the flower fairies blame Cobweb. Oh will this midsummer night never end Under the direction of Emily Steelman , the incredibly talented drama group at the Redwing Drama Club in Eminence, Missouri made their ‘cobweb dreams’ a stunning and successful reality! Check out some of the pictures they shared to be transported to a magical forest full of fantasy, fun and fairies.

“Hamlette! Mark me! Why art thou wearing so much eyeliner?” Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! Hamlette by Allison Williams is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale that is great for competitions. Why spend four hours telling the story when five actors can get the job done in thirty minutes? Under the direction of Valerie Marsh , the incredibly accomplished student performers at Bridgewater-Emery High School in Emery, SD were not only able to get the job done but achieved “superior” results along the way: “We had a lot of fun rehearsing and performing Williams’ play. We advanced to the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s State One-Act Play Festival, earning a “Superior Play” award. Three of the cast members also earned “Superior Performer” awards. Thanks for a well-written, hilarious script!”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. It’s time to get your students ready to sync up their Shakespeare and turn up their technique! Shakespeare on a Shoestring – Cymbeline! by Michael Calderone has all of Shakespeare’s most famous plot devices? It has… Faked Death! Mistaken Identity! Parental Marital Veto! But wait, there’s more! A great opportunity for student performers to tackle the play in the Shoestring style, which emphasizes ensemble, the physical space (with all scenery created by living tableaux) and audience interaction. Why did we publish this play? Shakespeare on a Shoestring is such a fabulous concept – living tableaux, ensemble driven, and audience participation. This is exactly the type of work students should get involved with. I also love that we can feature the process with a play we don’t normally see on the high school stage – Cymbeline! Cymbeline has a lot of twists and turns and every time I went “wait, what?” Michael was right there with a recap in the script. This is a great script and a great theatrical opportunity for your students! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? I have been writing Shoestring versions of stories for years; first for a Rutgers University Shoestring Players’ production and for various educational programs. I was teaching a Shoestring workshop in Nassau, Bahamas with the company Shakespeare in Paradise showing them how Midsummer could be staged without any scenery aside from the actors in living tableaux. A few years later I wrote Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Midsummer! and it was a hit at Hopkins School where I now teach. From there, my Ensemble Theater Class began staging Shakespeare on a Shoestring each year. Cymbeline was our second venture and when the opportunity came for us to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, the cast decided to do Cymbeline. It was a great choice since so many companies do Midsummer each year, but very few do Cymbeline. The main reason why I chose to adapt Cymbeline in the first place was due to the many scenic images that could be created by the cast: a ship to Italy; a four-poster bed; a cave in the wilds; and Jupiter’s Golden Eagle. It lent itself very well to the Shoestring style. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. Is it possible for Shakespeare to include twelve popular Elizabethan tropes in one play? Faked death? Fidelity Test? Cross-dressing? Yes! Have your cast explore this little known play and discover how he did it. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The most important visual aspect of this production is how creative you as a director can get with avoiding any actual scenery and employing every member of your company in creating the scenic elements. Have them create everything that is needed through living tableaux and the tools available to actors: their bodies, their faces and their voices! 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Tempo; always be mindful of your tempo. The percussionist, or on-stage “Foley Artist” keeps the show moving along while supplying incidental sound punctuation. The action is fast until it get’s complicated. At those times Shakespeare puts little re-caps in throughout the original play and I preserved them in out-of-character commentary. Leave room for the audience to get what you’re doing with the living scenery but not enough time for them to question it! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Full cast involvement. Everyone is engaged throughout the production. Each cast member is part of the whole playing a tree in the forest in one scene and a prince in another. It is the true ensemble experience.

Double the Shakespeare, double the fun! The talented student group at Franklin Township Middle School West in Indianapolis kicked off their inaugural theatre program with a night of “Shattered Shakespeare”, performing the Shakespearean adaptations Drop Dead, Juliet! and Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark. Rave reviews and state competition success – what a great start! In the one-act comedy, Drop, Dead, Juliet! by Allison Williams, Juliet has had enough! No more poison, stabbing, or dying. Romeo and Juliet will never be the same – or will it? Not everyone’s so keen on the changes. In the gruesomely comic adaptation, Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark by Chris Stiles, Denmark is plagued with zombies. “Zombie or not zombie? That is the question.” First-time director, Brent Williamson, shares his thoughts on the experience: “We recently performed a double feature of Drop Dead, Juliet! and Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark here in Indianapolis. This is our first year ever doing a theater program at our middle school, and my first attempt at director. It went fantastically, and we got rave reviews. But… we didn’t quite know how good, until our High School director encouraged us to take a show to a regional thespian competition. Curious, we looked at it as a good learning opportunity, to see how the high school’s competed, and see what we could learn from them. So we prepped for another month, and took Juliet to competition. AND WE CRUSHED IT. Our Juliet won best actress, and we came in second place, advancing to the STATE competition and beating out four seasoned high schools, INCLUDING last year’s state champions. Not bad for a first time middle school theater club. So much of this came from your amazing and inspiring scripts. The judge’s loved the timely message of Juliet, and the clever writing. My students are in love with their show, and we wanted to say thank you.”

To be or not to be is the infamous question. However, there is no question that Lindsay Price’s annotated version of Hamlet is a great way for students to experience Shakespeare’s tragic tale. This one-act version of what is undeniably the most famous play in the English language focuses on the themes of murder, ghosts and revenge. The ghost of Hamlet’s father orders Hamlet to avenge his murder. Hamlet’s inaction leads to madness and tragedy. The play’s the thing. Under the direction of Zachary Roberts , the student performers at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School in Raleigh, NC put their own twist on the tragic tale. We think the results are picture perfect! “Thank you so much for the great adaptation of Hamlet. I truly try to challenge my students with a wide range of plays and musicals, and your adaptation really served my students well. I love being a part of the DTA family. The resources and community are so helpful.”

If you’re looking for a beautiful blend of comedy and romance, not to mention mischievous fairies and love potions, look no further. Lindsay Price’s one-act annotated version of the classic tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in the Athenian woods is a fun and fantastical way to introduce students to Shakespeare. Tracy Garratt and the talented drama students at A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, Ontario transformed their school courtyard to perform this play and made it a magical night for everyone in attendance. “The students wanted to do something challenging and at the end of last year decided on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tracy spent the summer reviewing the script and coming up with some blocking but the theme, colours, props and costuming were all student driven. They decided where the play should be presented and what it should look like. Some of them struggled with the language, being bright kids they thought they could fulfill their comprehension on the fly. But the week before production their understanding of the text led to a real physical connection with their characters. They were so proud of their work they wanted to take home the props and costumes they had made as souvenirs.” Amazing job, A.N. Myer Secondary School! **Photo credit: Rena Burns

If you’re a drama teacher, Shakespeare should make it onto your stage at some point. But what if you’ve hated him since high school yourself? Shakespeare is a great challenge—one that is easier to embrace than skydiving. On the Drama Teacher Podcast, we heard from two teachers–Heidi Frederic (Romeo & Juliet) and Hilary Martin (Much Ado About Nothing)–about their experiences directing Shakespeare for the first time. They have some great tips to share! 1. Ask for help Heidi says: ‘I was calling all the troops to help me out. “I cannot do this alone!”’ In this day and age, you don’t have to go it alone. Where it’s a workshop in your area, an experienced teacher at a neighbouring school, or even just online—there are many place to access help. Here are a few resources to get you started: • No Fear Shakespeare • Drama Resource • Look for online exercises (like this one on Iambic Pentameter) • The Drama Teacher Academy • eDTA Open Forum through Educational Theatre Association Hilary notes: ‘Your English teacher is your friend…don’t be afraid to collaborate with the English teacher.’ Call on those who’ve taught Shakespeare in a different context, especially when the students are decoding the script. 2. Consider a variety of script options There are so many ways to skin the Shakespeare “cat” and make it manageable, especially the first time. Consider: • Adaptations • Abridged versions • One acts vs. full lengths Here are some Theatrefolk resources and plays to get you started: • Romeo and Juliet 1-hour cut with annotations • Much Ado About Nothing 1-hour cut with annotations • Shakespeare adaptations and parodies including Drop Dead, Juliet! & Much Ado High School • Shakespeare in an Hour • Solo-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Monologues • Scene-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Scenes 3. Find something to connect to and pull it into your comfort zone When you’re doing something far out of your comfort zone, there are ways to find a little comfort. Find something that you connect to and that you relate to, to make your experience smoother. For example, Heidi adapted Romeo and Juliet and set it in 1994 Seattle with a grunge theme. She says: ‘It helped the students understand the story and the language a lot better.’ Hilary’s students identified Much Ado as a soap opera, which helped them latch on to how they could act extremes in the play. She notes: ‘The over the top acting will also help the audience, who may not have had a lot of exposure to Shakespeare.’ • Read this blog post about setting Shakespeare in another time. • Read this one about putting Shakespeare in context. 4. Consider the unique rehearsal process with Shakespeare Consider pre-rehearsal activities to get students more familiar with the material. In Hilary’s case, her group watched film versions of Much Ado About Nothing, browsed lesson plans, and looked at small parts of the language. Expect that you (as a director) and the actors will have to look at the language and analyze the script a lot more closely. Heidi found No Fear Shakespeare books to be helpful, as well as taking the time for a close reading of the material. It’s critical to take an intensive look at the phrasing and wording, so that students aren’t just up there saying the words. They need to know the story and what’s going on. Hilary relates: ‘The key is going slow.’ She and her students spent a lot of time just reading through the scenes and stopping to analyze whenever the language got confusing. Embrace the challenge! Ask yourself: “Why not Shakespeare?” For more inspiration, check out these Drama Teacher Podcasts:• Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time • Teaching, Performing, Directing Shakespeare • Shakespeare from the Outside In