Get Ahead Task

William Shakespeare... we all know the name, right? English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. His works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

SHAKE(it-up)SPEARE!
Performers and writers have, and continue to take inspiration from Shakespeare's work, from films and animations to live theatre and musicals. See below some examples of adaptations and new works that are based around the stories and themes we read in The Bard's classical writes.

She's the Man (Twelfth Night)
Ten Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew)
West Side Story (Romeo & Juliet)
The Lion King (Hamlet)
Return to the Forbidden Planet (The Tempest)
Something Rotten (Shakespeare character)

The Mission?
Taking inspiration from one of the most recent deliveries to London's West End "& Juliet" we challenge you to change and reinvent one of Shakespeare's classic stories for audiences of today. & Juliet is a 2019 coming-of-age jukebox stage musical, featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet does not die at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It's time to pop on your writer and producer hats on to propose a BRAND NEW version of...

Macbeth Watch the Trailer here

Macbeth is a tragedy. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. A brave Scottish General named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death. Shakespeare's source for the story is the account of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587).

In the backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, and will not mention it's title aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish Play". The play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comics, and other media.

Using the form below - submit your proposal of a reinvented version of Macbeth!

Think about the vast variety of elements where adaptation is possible:

• Title of the piece

• The type of performance (movie, TV series, play, musical theatre, ballet, opera, etc.)

• The time and place of where your adaptation is set

• The style of the performance (traditional Shakespearean, modern day language translation, epic theatre style, realism, etc.)

• Costumes, props and set (colours can represent a plethora of emotions and really affect the atmosphere of a performance)

• The story itself - will you play true to the plot, will you take a "what if" approach (like & Juliet), will you change any characters, or take anything out?

We look forward to reading your suggestions and, who knows... you might be penning an idea for the next college production!!

GOOD LUCK