Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth
by Kathy Applebee
Very short tongue in cheek versions of the Bard’s finest tragedies. These are perfect for drama clubs, literature circles, an introduction to Shakespeare or for concluding a unit on the Bard. Each play is partially done in the original language and partly in modern day speech. Small casts that allow doubling make them easy to do as a full production or reader’s theater.
In Romeo and Juliet the audience gets into the act by chanting whenever a fight occurs. Juliet is rather preoccupied with vampires and Mr. Capulet with saving money. The ten minute version of Macbeth has one of the witches as a narrator and uses a number of hand puppets to represent sons of the main characters.
Hamlet is narrated by Horatio and rap song lyrics can be inserted as Hamlet’s rants or Ophelia loses her mind. Audience members are called upon to play the parts of the players performing the play within a play.
Links to free online lesson plans are included.
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