Macbeth: The 30-Minute Shakespeare

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Macbeth: The 30-Minute Shakespeare Details

From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up–Abiding by the premise that the text is supreme, Newlin's cuttings reveal the stories through the use of original dialogue and short connecting narratives to compensate for missing scenes. Each adaptation is accompanied by simple stage directions and a prop list. A sample program indicates possible double-casting of roles, and Newlin's personal notes on the pros and cons of his own high school production will embolden neophyte directors. A preface explains the origins of Newlin's adaptations, and an essay on “Performing Shakespeare,” which follows the text, includes rehearsal suggestions and a discussion of the application of Aristotle's six elements of drama. A good bibliography of print and online resources completes the work. Newlin's prose is clear and explanatory, stressing the importance of understanding Shakespeare's words and of granting license to the young actors' own ideas. Problems do occur, however, with the adaptations themselves because large sections of the plays have been omitted to accommodate the time frame, and the scenes do not always follow their original order. For example, in Midsummer, readers learn that Puck has engineered Titania's falling in love with an “ass,” but Oberon's reasons for wanting to humiliate her are never divulged. Geared to an older audience than Carole Cox's Shakespeare's Kids (Libraries Unlimited, 2009), Newlin's titles maintain Cox's philosophy of empowering young actors with Shakespeare's own words and could serve well as introductory texts for simple productions if additional narratives are supplied.–Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FLα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Read more Review What people are saying about The 30-Minute Shakespeare series:“…A truly fun, emotional, and sometimes magical first experience…guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive educator.”―Library Journal“A master at engaging students in theprocess of performing a Shakespearescene.” --Janet Field-Pickering, head ofeducation, Folger Shakespeare Library“Wonderfully informative and fun.You can’t do better.” –Charles P. Lord,Headmaster, St. Timothy’s SchoolBaltimore, MD“Truly an advocate of the child, of the arts and of humanity.”--Tia Powell HarrisEducation, Kennedy Center'From a teacher's perspective, this book was a great way to introduce students to a Shakespeare play they otherwise might never have encountered in high school… much more fun working with the adaptation than it might have been if i had tackled the full script. I strongly recommend this book (and the rest of the series) to educators who want to introduce a variety of Shakespeare plays to their students in a limited amount of time.--James Brendlinger, Chairman, Department of Arts and CommunicationsLake Lowell High School, Winter Park, FL“Nick Newlin’s 30-minute play cuttingsare perfect for students who have noexperience with Shakespeare. Each 30-minute mini-playis a play in itself with a beginning, middle, and end.”―MichaelEllis-Tolaydo,Chairman, Dept. of Theatre St. Mary’s College, MarylandWhat people are saying about The 30-Minute Shakespeare series:“…A truly fun, emotional, and sometimes magical first experience…guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive educator.”—Library Journal“A master at engaging students in theprocess of performing a Shakespearescene.” --Janet Field-Pickering, head ofeducation, Folger Shakespeare Library“Wonderfully informative and fun.You can’t do better.” –Charles P. Lord,Headmaster, St. Timothy’s SchoolBaltimore, MD“Truly an advocate of the child, of the arts and of humanity.”--Tia Powell HarrisEducation, Kennedy Center'From a teacher's perspective, this book was a great way to introduce students to a Shakespeare play they otherwise might never have encountered in high school… much more fun working with the adaptation than it might have been if i had tackled the full script. I strongly recommend this book (and the rest of the series) to educators who want to introduce a variety of Shakespeare plays to their students in a limited amount of time.--James Brendlinger, Chairman, Department of Arts and CommunicationsLake Lowell High School, Winter Park, FL“Nick Newlin’s 30-minute play cuttingsare perfect for students who have noexperience with Shakespeare. Each 30-minute mini-playis a play in itself with a beginning, middle, and end.”—MichaelEllis-Tolaydo,Chairman, Dept. of Theatre St. Mary’s College, Maryland Read more See all Editorial Reviews