What people are saying about The 30-Minute Shakespeare series: “…A truly fun, emotional, and sometimes magical first experience…guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive educator.”—Library Journal “A master at engaging students in the process of performing a Shakespeare scene.” --Janet Field-Pickering, head of education, Folger Shakespeare Library “Wonderfully informative and fun. You can’t do better.” –Charles P. Lord, Headmaster, St. Timothy’s School Baltimore, MD “Truly an advocate of the child, of the arts and of humanity.” --Tia Powell Harris Education, Kennedy Center 'From a teacher's perspective, this book was a great way to introduce students to a Shakespeare play they otherwise might never have encountered in high school… much more fun working with the adaptation than it might have been if i had tackled the full script. I strongly recommend this book (and the rest of the series) to educators who want to introduce a variety of Shakespeare plays to their students in a limited amount of time. --James Brendlinger, Chairman, Department of Arts and Communications Lake Lowell High School, Winter Park, FL “Nick Newlin’s 30-minute play cuttings are perfect for students who have no experience with Shakespeare. Each 30-minute mini-play is a play in itself with a beginning, middle, and end.”—Michael Ellis-Tolaydo, Chairman, Dept. of Theatre St. Mary’s College, Maryland

Hamlet: The 30-Minute Shakespeare offers five scenes from this enduring tragedy. The Ghost of Hamlet’s father calls for vengeance, and Hamlet uses the players to prove Claudius guilty. The cutting includes the murder of Polonius, Ophelia’s mad scene, and the timeless “To be or not to be” speech, climaxing in the swordfight and poisoning that bring the story to its riveting end. The edition includes helpful advice by Nick Newlin on how to put on a Shakespeare production in a high school class with novice actors, as well as tips for performing the specific play and recommendations for further resources.