Macbeth: A Kid's Cautionary Tale Concerning Greed, Power, Mayhem and Other Current Events
Adapted by Nancy Linehan Charles. From Shakespeare.
Product Code: MB8000
One-act Play
Comedy | Drama | Melodrama | Satire
Cast size: 15+ either gender, expandable to include all.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
This dramatic adaptation, sprinkled with comedic commentary, is a winner for elementary, middle, and early high school. Shakespeare's Scottish tragedy is told within a lively and humorous story-theatre frame. Macbeth and his Lady covet the crown while witches, ghosts, kings and soldiers sweep across the landscape, carving out the battle between good and evil. Shakespeare characters speak the Bard's words, while storytellers fill in plot and comment wryly on the escalating action. Macbeth to Witches: "How now, you secret, black and midnight hags." Storyteller to audience: "He sure knows how to talk to girls." The storytellers' caution at play's end: "Watch out what you ask for...and be careful who you hang out with."
Notes
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show One-act Play
- Product Code MB8000
- Minimum Cast Size 15
- Pages of Dialogue 34
- Min. Royalty Rate $50.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 45 min
- Staging Bare stage with props.
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | TYA
- Genre Comedy | Drama | Melodrama | Satire
- ISBN(13) 9780871299482
Customer Reviews
This was an excellent play to introduce young actors and audiences to Shakespeare. It gave me many "teaching" moments during rehearsals!
A good play both instructs and entertains. The cast loved it! The audience loved it! The teachers and administrators loved it! This was a wonderful experience for everyone. There was a role for everyone who auditionedÑtheatre students, ROTC cadets, athletes. A combination of Monty Python and classical Shakespeare.
This was a riotous, rambunctious production with plenty of action and Shakespearean drama.
A fun and funny play which was also educational. Lots of room for adaptation and ad-libbing. Many teachers said it was their favorite school play in years.
Engaging for audiences of all agesÑa great introduction to the bard.
This concise treatment, framed by spirited storytellers, is a perfect combination of enhancement of the story and preservation of Shakespeare's most elegant passages. It plays terrifically to children and adults alike; we had 2-year-olds and college kids in awe. I love that the inner story is not made comic; it preserves the dark beauty of the play.
Macbeth proved to be an excellent choice for our group of inexperienced kids. There was plenty of action for our sword-fighting boys and authentic language for our students interested in a true Shakespearean experience. Plus, there were lots of laughs for everyone. We got a standing ovation.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Macduff and Macbeth chose to do a non-traditional, slow-motion, "matrix" style swordfight sceneÑand stole the show!
Keep it simpleÑcostumes, sets, props.
We hired a college student as fight choreographer (they are cheap), and she conducted about six sessions. The kids felt so honored, and the fights were excellent. We dressed the three storytellers in referee shirts; they sat in director's chairs. The audience loved that aspect.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staley Middle School | Frisco | TX | 05/08/2025 | 05/09/2025 |
Gallery
Macbeth: A Kid's Cautionary Tale Concerning Greed, Power, Mayhem and Other Current Events - Hackett Middle School, Albany, NY
Macbeth: A Kid's Cautionary Tale-McCluer North High School, Florissant, MO
Also By These Authors
Drama Director, Lytton Community School District, Rockwell City, Iowa