Macbeth: The Script

This simplified and abridged version of Macbeth is mostly in contemporary English, but also has occasional lines from the original play.
I have used this script with mixed ability classes including ‘gifted’, special needs and ESL learners, and it’s always been highly successful.
Depending on how it is directed, it can be performed in 30 minutes to an hour.
It has been performed in our school theatre, in our classroom and also in our common room as it requires nothing more than a clear staging area, separate from ‘behind the scenes’. To separate the stage from the rest of the space, we have used raised platforms, display boards (as wings) or simply marked out the space by where we seat the audience. Alternatively, it has the potential for use as a Reader's Theatre script (though I have not used it this way myself).
It is the perfect introduction to a study of the original text, or a way of touching upon the main points of the story when you do not have time to explore the original, full version.

In this resource, you will find:
-notes on my experiences of staging this version of the play with suggestions on how to perform it with minimal additional resources
-the play script comprising of 16 pages
-stage directions

Any issues, please get in touch via roamingteacher@gmail.com

Keywords: Macbeth, script, play, Shakespeare, mixed ability, SEN, ESL, EAL, photocopiable, printable