Macbeth: The 30-Minute Shakespeare

by William Shakespeare, Nick Newlin (Editor)

Overview

Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited.

"The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the “story” of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare’s language intact. Specific stage directions and character suggestions give even inexperienced actors the tools to perform Shakespeare with confidence, understanding, and fun!

This cutting of MACBETH is edited to seven key scenes, opening with the Weird Sisters predicting Macbeth's fate. Also included are Macbeth and his villainous wife plotting to murder King Duncan, the appearance of Banquo's ghost at the banquet, the Witches' unforgettable "double double toil and trouble" scene, and Lady Macbeth's riveting "out, damned spot" sleepwalk. In the finale, the entire cast recites Macbeth's poignant "tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow" speech in unison.

The edition also includes an essay by editor Nick Newlin on how to produce a Shakespeare play with novice actors, and notes about the original production of this abridgement at the Folger Shakespeare Library's annual Student Shakespeare Festival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935550143
Publisher:	Nicolo Whimsey Press
Publication date:	06/01/2010
Series:	The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	271 KB

About the Author

Nick Newlin has performed a juggling and variety act for international audiences for 23 years.  Since 1996, he has conducted an annual Play Directing residency affiliated with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. Nick has a BA from Harvard University with Honors 1982 and an MA in Theater from The University of Maryland with an emphasis on Play Directing.

Date of Death:

2018

Place of Birth:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Place of Death:

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Table of Contents

Preface: No Experience Necessary..................................... vi
Characters in the Play........................................................ vIii
Macbeth ........................................................................ 1
Performing Shakespeare................................................... 30
Performance Notes: Macbeth............................................. 49
Set and Prop List.............................................................. 57
Sample Program............................................................... 58
Additional Resources......................................................... 59

Editorial Reviews

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 the
process of performing a Shakespeare
scene.” --Janet Field-Pickering, head of
education, Folger Shakespeare Library

“Wonderfully informative and fun.
You can’t do better.” –Charles P. Lord,
Headmaster, St. Timothy’s School
Baltimore, MD

“Truly an advocate of the child, of the arts and of humanity.”
--Tia Powell Harris
Education, 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 Communications
Lake Lowell High School, Winter Park, FL

“Nick Newlin’s 30-minute play cuttings
are perfect for students who have no
experience with Shakespeare. Each 30-minute mini-play
is a play in itself with a beginning, middle, and end.”—Michael
Ellis-Tolaydo,
Chairman, Dept. of Theatre St. Mary’s College, Maryland

From the Publisher