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  • 1.  Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-25-2019 10:56
    We are looking for a one-act length version of the Scottish Play for our regional/state festival next fall.  Any suggestions?  Thanks

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    Jeffrey Hudkins
    Falling Waters WV
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  • 2.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-26-2019 08:03
    There's an IE Clark adaptation that I'm kind of interested in at Dramatic Publishing -- it's set in the Globe Theater and includes an intro/frame with the "characters" of Shakespeare and Burbage, who offer background info and sort of fast forward over bits of the play, and then step in as characters in Macbeth.  I haven't done it because the frame feels summary-heavy, but then on the other hand it has some fun potential for staging.

    If anyone has seen or done that adaptation I'd love to know how it went!

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    Josie Tierney-Fife
    English Teacher/Theater Director
    Gorham, Maine
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-26-2019 08:42
    ​The Clark adaptation is a good one. There is another adaptation that has a teen frame story around it. Gillette Elvgren has a Macbeth for Kids. It's available on Amazon but cheaper elsewhere. I believe it has some elements that canmake it applicable for a younger audience, but permission for those cuts are easily obtained.

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    Jean Klein
    Playwright/Founder HaveScripts/BlueMoonPlays
    Playwriting Teacher in MFA program, Wilkes University]
    Virginia BeachVA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-26-2019 13:06
    I havent' read this MacB but I almost did the Hamlet edited by the same person.  It's not a bad cutting if you want to do a straight adaptation rather than a version framed by "actors" or "Shakespeare" telling/living the story.

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    Joel King
    Atlanta GA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-27-2019 08:28
    We devised an ensemble-based one-hour cutting, using only Shakespeare's words, but making the witches the central characters. It was developed as a ritual theatre piece. The characters needed to tell the story emerged from the witches when necessary and then returned to the witches when their role was done. Lots of sound and movement. It was received very well in our school. If you'd like to see a copy of the cutting, along with some of the staging ideas, send me an email mbergman@potomacschool.org  You'll find some pictures on the school's website https://www.potomacschool.org/arts/theater/a-scottish-play-fall-2011

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    Michael Bergman
    Teacher/Director
    The Potomac School
    McLean, VA
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-28-2019 09:34
    I have used this one I found online:
    https://moodle.avhsd.org/pluginfile.php/103428/mod_resource/content/1/Macbeth_30_mins.pdf

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    Rosalind Flynn
    Head of the M.A. in Theatre Education
    Director, The High School Drama Institute
    The Catholic University of America
    Washington, DC
    drama.cua.edu/graduate/MATE
    drama.cua.edu/summer
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-28-2019 10:11
    ​Just be careful about what you find on line. There are sometimes copyright issues.  I've become aware of this issue using photos that I thought were in the public domain because I didn't check far enough. It's sometimes hard to determine these days what is free to use. This one seems to be pretty clear though.

    If you follow the on-line link, you find that this version of the Scottish Play seems to be encumbered--  

    "© Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF)

    "'"We are such stuff as dreams are made on.'

    "Copyright of the abridged scripts rest with Shakespeare Schools Festival charity. Your registration fee only allows you to perform the abridgement during the current Festival. You may not share the script with other schools, or download all the scripts for personal use. A public performance of the SSF abridged script must be premiered at the professional SSF theatre."

    I take that to mean you can't legally download and either share or perform. Am I wrong?

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    Jean Klein
    Playwright/Founder HaveScripts/BlueMoonPlays
    Playwriting Teacher in MFA program, Wilkes University]
    Virginia BeachVA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Short/Contest Scottish Play

    Posted 04-28-2019 16:15
    Shakespeare is my jam and I always like to do my own cutting and/or work with my cast to make the perfect cutting for the production.  Not only does it allow me to get to know the text really intimately and make some new discoveries since I read/ watched/ directed it last, but it also allows me to customize it based on my ensemble and the limitations (time, budget, content) of that particular production. This also avoids copyright issues.  
    You can also do this with your cast (before or after auditions and have them make suggestions.  You might have a few students who want to take the lead. 
    Anyway, even if you haven't adapted Shakespeare before, it is a great exercise and it will give you and your student a great sense of ownership over the project. 
    If you want some more specific suggestions about cutting in general, let me know.

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    Elana Kepner
    Theatre Instructor
    The Oakwood School
    Greenville NC
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    Original Message


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