Shakespeare 4 Kidz News

With S4K's HAMLET - The Musical still on tour around the UK (before it heads overseas in the spring), we are delighted to announce that the full-length Hamlet Put on a Play Pack is now available from S4K Publishing. The cost in the UK is just £250 (+VAT) and as usual includes a master copy of the script, score, photocopying and performance licences, music CD and of course the writers' royalty. The S4K Put on a Play pack remains one of the cheapest ways to produce a professionally published show in your school.

The cut down 1 HOUR version has been available since September 2007 at the reduced price of £150 (+VAT) in the UK - and will remain on sale alongside the longer one.

For more details, go to the Put on a Play Pack section of our website www.shakespeare4kidz.com/publishing

S4K Education - pioneers in Creative Shakespeare Education across the UK and overseas since 1996 - are delighted to endorse the Shakespeare Graphic Novels form Classical Comics.

The highly visual graphic format of the books heighten the important visual learning techniques in students of all ages - but are particularly useful for Key Stage 3 students studying Set Scenes for the SATs. The books can be read in three different formats starting with the QUICK TEXT version of the books to get a rapid understanding of the play; students can then progress onto a PLAIN TEXT version, then finally an ORIGINAL TEXT version of the play.

Julian Chenery, founder and Creative Director of S4K says:

"These Graphic Novel Formats echo the innovative work we have pioneered over the years with our Set Scene Seminars: in these, our cast would play the S4K version of a Set Scene, then immediately follow this with an identical staging - but using the original text. This proved to be a highly powerful methodology, with an incredibly strong visual impact, really helping students retain and understand complex contextual situations."

"In the same way, I am certain that the Classical Comics format is a valuable learning tool, and will quickly become the must-have stepping stone to a full appreciation of classic plays and novels in the 21st century."

"In our ever-changing, fast-moving society these books are an ideal aid to help gain a full grasp of the subject matter, and can only lead to more young people enjoying our original great works of literature."

An example of the Classical Comic KS3 vesrions of THE TEMPEST can be found via this link .

The Classical Comics website can be found on this link. 

Our acclaimed show "Shakespeare 4 Kidz THE TEMPEST" is back on tour across the UK this spring, joining our five-star hit Hamlet musical.

Jason Lee Scott - our original Prospero - returns to the company to recreate the role of the wizardlike Duke of Milan seeking to reclaim his dukedom after twelve long years abandoned on a Mediterranean island. Paul Parris (Hamlet in S4K Hamlet) is back as the monster Caliban and his real-life wife Filipa Jeronimo is the spirit Ariel.

The show opens at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea on 22nd January and plays (with S4K Hamlet) throught to 15th April at the Liverpool Empire. Tour dates and performance details can be found here.

The show is ideal for those students studying the play at Key Stage 3 as it gives a completely clear understanding of the plot, themes, chracters and relationships.

As part of our FREE Teacher resources for THE TEMPEST - you can now download a pdf of the 2008 Set Scenes for the Key Stage 3 English SAT.

As in previous years, each page contains the Original Shakespeare text side-by-side with the script from the Shakespeare 4 Kidz adaptation.

Though not necessarily a direct translation, the S4K version uses a unique blend of easy-to-understand dialogue with the original Shakespeare.

This year's set scenes for The Tempest are Act III, Scene 2 and Act IV, Scene 1 (lines 139 - 162).

The pdf can be downloaded using this link.