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The 30-Minute Shakespeare
As You Like It: Including Stage Directions for All Levels of Experience
As You Like It: The 30-Minute Shakespeare presents seven captivating scenes from this merry play. Rosalind, disguised as a man (“Ganymede”), “teaches” the art of romantic wooing to Orlando.
The cutting includes Jaques’ timeless “Seven Ages of Man” speech; Touchstone the Fool’s courtship of Audrey; and the hilarious love triangle between Silvius, Phebe, and Rosalind (as Ganymede). The entire cast joins in the delightful song “A Lover and His Lass” to bring a rousing end to this charming comedy.
The edition includes helpful advice by Nick Newlin on how to put on a Shakespeare production in a high school class with novice actors, as well as tips for performing the specific play and recommendations for further resources.
The cutting includes Jaques’ timeless “Seven Ages of Man” speech; Touchstone the Fool’s courtship of Audrey; and the hilarious love triangle between Silvius, Phebe, and Rosalind (as Ganymede). The entire cast joins in the delightful song “A Lover and His Lass” to bring a rousing end to this charming comedy.
The edition includes helpful advice by Nick Newlin on how to put on a Shakespeare production in a high school class with novice actors, as well as tips for performing the specific play and recommendations for further resources.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
William Shakespeare
25.2k books48k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 27, 2020
I love these editions! It is so hard to introduce the wonderful world of William Shakespeare to new students. So worthwhile doing, but it's very difficult to make the great material accessible to both young people today and also people of all ages not yet familiar with this poetic and human literature and living theatre work!
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
June 26, 2020
As You Like It is one of my favorites, and this abridgement retains all of its charm and humor. Kudos to Mr. Newlin! As a longtime high school English teacher and former purist, I am genuinely grateful that this wonderful resource is now available to kids who need a little boost to help them see what's really great about Shakespeare. And all the really great parts of the play are still in here! This series will put Cliff Notes out of business because they aren't even necessary or worthwhile anymore when you can read the real language in the same amount of time and gain a better understanding of the material. Cannot recommend enough!
June 27, 2020
I was fortunate enough to pick up a promotional copy of a few books from this anthology a few years ago and finally used it as an easy self-educational tool, my knowledge of Shakespeare having faded since elementary school. Most recently I am reading "As You Like It" I have to say I thoroughly enjoy these abridged versions and appreciate Newlin's scholarly, informed, insightful and modest reduction of the original work to a user-friendly version that sticks to the most essential and memorable parts.
June 25, 2020
The 30 minute Shakespeare series is pure brilliance. Each book takes language that is difficult for high school students and focuses the language on the meat of the story, keeping the Shakespeare alive. Not only that, but he differentiates for different learning levels. As a high school teacher, I can tell you that this differentiation is so important and useful. Each book in this series makes Shakespeare more accessible to regular people, especially for students. I wish every middle and high school English and drama teacher in the country would consider The 30 Minute Shakespeare series for their classroom and/or stage. They're that good.
June 25, 2020
What a delight. I used the book series in classes with not only students whose skills in English class varied, but also with some students who did not speak much English. They made for nice, brief, up-on-your-feet experiences for the students. In the future, I will try breaking students into small groups working with, perhaps, three plays. My students would have a ball--a nice shift from my grammar lessons!
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June 25, 2020This entire series is a wonderful resource. The clever way in which the meaningful themes and quotes are distilled allows my younger students to explore the themes and provocative use of language and vocabulary. They are able understand and to see parallels in their own lives with both the complexity and simplicity of the human experience. I think Shakespeare would be pleased to see his work made accessible to so many! Highly Recommended.
June 25, 2020
After teaching for 27 years I finally came across a great tool for introducing Shakespeare to my students! I've used this and another of the series to work with both middle schoolers and high schoolers .. AS you like it .. I like it ALOT ! the kids on both levels responded so positively that I want to try another in the series!
June 25, 2020
What an excellent way for people to access Shakespeare! Acting really builds one's sense of self confidence. These are a great lead in for beginner actors and even nonnative speakers.
July 1, 2020
The 30-minute Shakespeare books are wonderful! My kids and I have loved reading them and sorting out our own little performances, with our own set and limited props, in our own time. What a great way to introduce the plays to kids and encourage them to make their way in deeper, at their own pace. My own childhood introduction to Shakespeare was atrocious -- a diabolical and intimidating plan devised by a self-important, puffed up teacher who got his jollies making students, families and even other teachers feel ignorant. What a sad approach to life! Newlin’s approach completely reset my outlook and gave me the confidence to try As You Like It again. Newlin’s preface -- No Experience Necessary -- drew me right in and encouraged me to own the performance. I savored the lines and, later, made time to read and re-read the unabridged play. What a blast! Thanks to Nick Newlin and all who collaborated on this approach to Shakespeare.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews