Shakespeare 4 Kidz News

Shakespeare's Hamlet will be turned into a 3D musical as part of Shakespeare 4 Kidz's new movie series.

S4K's Hamlet in 3D will be the first of a series of six movie adaptations of the musical versions of the Bard's plays originally created by the acclaimed UK theatre company Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

The film, which is produced by Mark Thomas and Elsinore Films, will be directed by double BAFTA winner John Godber, who is reuniting his partnership with Thomas, the producer of Godber's film version of Up ‘n' Under.

Series producer Mark Thomas of Elsinore Films explained "We have long admired the work that Julian and the team at Shakespeare 4 Kidz have achieved, which is often described as the "Disney-fication" of Shakespeare, and we are delighted that funding opportunities have presented themselves so readily."

Executive Producer Michael Cowan, co-MD of Spice Factory and Stealth Media Group says: "We believe that there is a great commercial opportunity here for the S4K series to flourish in the worldwide market, and the titles to enjoy an ‘evergreen' status which will still be selling in 50 years time."

Not only will the story of Hamlet be told in a unique and exciting way, but the addition of the latest 3D technology brings added excitement to cinema audiences: a ghost that hovers in front of your eyes, cannon-fire that flies into the auditorium and a final sword-fight that seems to literally be all around you, are just some of the features promised in the first film, which is firmly targeted at the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and High School Musical market.

S4K's Julian Chenery, who is a co producer of the new film series, says "Creating a Hamlet for children was the ultimate test for The Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company and we are thrilled that the team of Mark Thomas, John Godber and Michael Cowan are able to help bring this unique idea to the big screen."

S4K's Hamlet is the first in a series of three Shakespeare 4 Kidz movies that will be produced back-to-back over an eighteen month period. "Hamlet" will be followed by "Macbeth" and "Romeo and Juliet" in the first block of three. The second series will feature "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Twelfth Night" and "The Tempest".

Alongside the movies, Elsinore has developed a television show "Movie Quest - A Romeo 4 Juliet", a public search to find two undiscovered young actors to play the lead parts of Romeo and Juliet.

S4K's Hamlet will be distributed internationally and in the UK by Stealth Media who are about to release the 3D version of Garfield Petforce.

For more information, visit www.shakespeare4kidz.com.

See the original article on the Broadway World.com website

 By Adam Hetrick
14 Aug 2009

The Prince of Denmark will sing "To be or not to be" in the new 3D children's musical version of the Shakespeare tragedy Hamlet that is in the works from Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Mark Thomas and Elsinore Films will produce "Hamlet," which will be directed by BAFTA winner John Gobder. The film will be the first in a series of six musical film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays for young audiences.

Additional films in the works include adaptations of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night and The Tempest. Casting for Romeo and Juliet will be handled via a television reality competition "Movie Quest – A Romeo 4 Juliet."

The 3D "Hamlet" promises hovering ghosts, a canon that will seem to fire right into the audience and a sword fight that will envelop audiences.

"Creating a 'Hamlet' for children was the ultimate test for The Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company and we are thrilled that the team of Mark Thomas, John Godber and Michael Cowan are able to help bring this unique idea to the big screen," said S4K's Julian Chenery in a statement.

See the original article on the Playbill.com website

By Jenni Miller

Remember the must-have study guides "SparkNotes" and their ilk? Well, the big screen is about to get its own shorthand Shakespeare treatment — musical numbers and all. According to Variety, the Shakespeare 4 Kidz theater company is putting their mind and their money towards six musical adaptations of the Bard's greatest works, starting with "Hamlet" in 3D. The series, which will include some of Shakespeare's greatest and most popular works (like "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," and "A Midsummer's Night Dream") is aiming for lovers of the "High School Musical" and "Harry Potter" type of films.

S4K promises, "Not only will the story of Hamlet be told in a unique and exciting way, but the addition of the latest 3D technology brings added excitement to cinema audiences: a ghost that hovers in front of your eyes, cannon-fire that flies into the auditorium and a final sword-fight that seems to literally be all around you."

In addition to these modern movie treatments, the film company behind the series, Elsinore Films, is creating a TV series called "Movie Quest — A Romeo 4 Juliet," which will be a reality competition show about finding undiscovered talent to play the star-crossed lovers.

No word on who will star in the 3-D version of "Hamlet" yet, but our money is on Shia LaBeouf; he's got the dark and tortured thing down pat.

Is this a fair treatment of the Bard's work, or a fun way to get people interested in Shakespeare? Who would you cast as Hamlet?

See the original article on the MTV website

FROM LATINO REVIEW.COM

By Genevieve M. Blaber "ScarletScribe" on August 14, 2009      

Sometimes you love two insanely different things only to discover that together they make the perfect combo -- think, peanut butter and chocolate. And that's how I hope things will turn out now that Mark Thomas from Elsinore Films has announced he'll be combining the musical with Shakespeare and -- yes, I cannot believe it -- 3-D.

With an intent to target the younger audiences that go crazy for High School Musical and Harry Potter, Thomas plans to adapt six of Shakespeare's plays into 3-D musicals, starting with none other than the classic "Hamlet" and moving on to other well-known works like "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Twelfth Night."

Frankly, the idea of a distraught Hamlet thrusting Yorick's skull into the faces of audience members amuses me to no end. But for those of you who remain a tad skeptical about bringing the words of a long-dead playwright to 3-D musical life, I'd like to remind you that -- for all of their classic lines and lofty themes -- Shakespeare's plays were about titillating the audience. Ghosts, swordfights, gender bending, were par for the course, and if anything the musical infusion will help liven up the extensive monologues that not every person can stand.

Thomas won't be starting from scratch though. Instead he'll be working off of the musical versions that Shakespeare 4 Kidz, a U.K. theater company, created. John Godber is set to direcct, and in the meantime Elsinore Films will also be shooting a TV show to cast for the roles of Romeo and Juliet in one of the forthcoming adaptations. The title of the show? Movie Quest -- A Romeo 4 Juliet.

See the original article at LATINOREVIEW.COM