The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare-A Midsummer Night's Dream (Classics for All Ages) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Cass Foster (Author)

Book Description

Series: Classics for All Ages

A condensed version of Shakespeare's play about the strange events that take place in a forest inhabited by fairies who magically transform the romantic fate of two young couples.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Allows teachers to introduce the language more easily to wary students...The series is a valuable resource...Foster successfully retains each plays integrity and beauty." -- Today's Librarian

"Reading-or performing Shakespeare doesn't need to take 'forever and a day.' Not if you raise the curtain on The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare.. --Education World --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Cass Foster, author of The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series, Shakespeare for Children: The Story of Romeo and Juliet, and the co-author of Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach has been involved in all aspects of theatre for over thirty-five years. He is the director of a theatre program at a small college in central Arizona and often spends his summers as Fight Choreographer with Shakespeare Festivals. Cass directs productions and stages fights for theatres and universities throughout the country. He earned his bachelors degree in Drama from the University of Washington in Seattle and his Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Besides his obvious involvement in the field of Shakespeare, Cass is particularly interested in the development of new plays for young audiences. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Five Star Pubns; 1st edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877749222
• ISBN-13: 978-1877749223
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,835,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment, December 6, 2000

By 

"kmmdaley" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixty-Minute Shakespeare Series: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Paperback)

I saw the other reviews of this book,and I have to wonder if the reviewers really read this abridged version of the play. This is one of our family's favorite plays, and I bought this book to allow us to do a living room performance of it in one evening. I was disappointed. First, the copy has many errors in it that make performing it confusing. For instance, in Act I, Scene 1, when Egeus brings Hermia and Demetrius and Lysander before Theseus, there is a stage direction that says "Demetrius exit and Helena follow." although Helena has not appeared (in this or any other version of the play) until later in the scene. Second, every person who has to make cuts in this play does it differently, but Cass Foster has cut some parts that I really miss, especially Bottom's playing the "tyrant" in Act I, Scene 2, and the rest of Thisby's death speech in Act V. Those scenes seem wooden and hurried without those lines. If I had known what this book was like, I would have ordered a different book with the full text and cut out lines myself. It would be easier than going through this text and correcting typos and adding lines that I feel need to be there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A letter from a customer in Baku, Azerbaijan, March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare-A Midsummer Night's Dream (Classics for All Ages) (Paperback)

March 5, 1999

Dear friends at Five Star Pub.,

We have a small school on the other side of the planet from you in a country called Azerbaijan. It's kind of a home school coop. Two years ago we performed your version of Romeo and Juliet and last year, A Midsummer Night's Dream. We really enjoy your versions because of the suggestions for staging (we're all rookies) and your notes of explanation on difficult phrases. I have to admit that the kids liked the Romeo and Juliet notes the best because there were more of them but we also like the new layout of Midsummer. It's easier to use.

Thanks for your help,

Cindi Wagner Baku, Azerbaijan

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction, September 11, 2011

By 

Chris Harrison - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sixty-Minute Shakespeare Series: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Paperback)

Sixty Minute Shakespeare is, technically, cheating a bit. In this series, Professor Cass Foster has abridged Shakespeare's plays to make them a bit less intimidating. But don't misunderstand: these are not rewritten! The rich language of the originals is still here, they have just been condensed very carefully.

For instance, in the original Act III, Scene I, it reads:

Quince: Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.

And in Sixty-Minute Shakespeare, the same line reads:

Quince: Pat, pat; and here's a marvail's convenient place for our rehearsal. We will do it in action as we will do it before the Duke.

It has left out only the line "This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring house" which is not integral to the story.

This method makes it a more simple read, which makes it much less intimidating. The book also includes brief footnotes with definitions of Old English words that help tremendously. And, at less than $9 per book, they are very inexpensive and well worth the money.

In addition to being a more gentle introduction for the reader, the book also includes notes for directing the book as a play. This abridged version, with notes for efficient scene changes, rhythms, etc. also makes a gentle introduction to the actual play, not just the text. Pages are included at the end of each scene for director/actor notes.

By next year, my sons will begin tackling the unabridged originals. Until then, I am enjoying this version very much and so are my boys. They are getting a true feel for the story as well as a true feel for the voice of Shakespeare. They are truly enjoying it and I think this gentler introduction will make them much more prone to appreciating the original works when we get to them.