Student engagement on cue!

Stage It: Making Shakespeare Come Alive in Schools

Published by an international leader in teaching and learning titles, this step-by-step guide and its downloadable Support Material are designed for busy teachers of students ages 9 - 12 with and without drama experience to engage primary / elementary and middle school students in a school play of varying lengths. The approach has been shown to be effective even for students who struggle in the classroom.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars

  • “This book is possibly the most useful resource around. Stage It is student-centered and encourages us to let our students do first and understanding will follow”.

    Lynne Collinson, Editor, Word Matters, Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama

  • “Stage It is the most practical and engaging approach to teaching younger students Shakespeare—or any literary content— that I have seen in over two decades as a drama educator”.

    - Jennifer Shirley, Drama Curriculum Specialist at The Juilliard School

  • “Push back the desks and get your students engaged in learning in a way that they will never forget! Stage It is a brilliant and thoroughly researched guide that brings the magic of theater into the classroom”.

    - Maureen Dillon, Retired Teacher, Croton-Harmon Schools

  • “Stage It not only dispels the misconception that Shakespeare is inaccessible to younger students but also provides invaluable techniques that significantly enhance language acquisition and comprehension”.

    - André Del Valle, Head of School, Mary McDowell Friends School

  • “Stage It is an essential tool for the classroom. It provides a detailed map of how to “stage” a play from beginning to end and demystifies the notion that Shakespeare’s plays have to be done in a certain classical style”.

    - Albert R. I. Elias, Founder, Director of Creative Stages NYC, LLC

  • “Stage It stands as a meticulously crafted roadmap for our frontline educators, illuminating the transformative power of arts education”.

    - Jennifer Wintzer, MFA, Former Stages of Learning Master Teaching Artist; Program Manager, Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis

Primary / elementary and middle school adaptations of Shakespeare's plays

Four Plays Included With Stage It

  • 40-minute, developmentally appropriate adaptations

  • Royalty free

  • Field tested

  • PDF format for easy download from the publisher’s website here.

Book cover titled "Staging Hamlet" with a subtitle "A resource for: Stage It: Making Shakespeare Come Alive in Schools." The cover features a photo of children performing an outdoor play, with an audience watching. The author is Floyd Rumohr, published by Routledge.

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" but not for long! Hamlet will soon set things right. That is, if he doesn't spend too much time talking to the ghost of his murdered father. Some of the most famous quotations in the English language appear in Hamlet and they give students a lot to think about. “Brevity is the soul of wit,” “To be or not to be,” and “Though this be madness; yet there is method in’t” are just a few.

  • 1.   Introduction

    • Who Is This Book For?

    • What This Book is Not

    2.    Use of Language in Hamlet

    • Adjectives

    • Verbs

    • Similes

    • Metaphors

    3.    Notable Quotations

    4.    Interpreting the Play

    5.    Cast of Characters

    6.    Contemporary English Version

    (Teacher’s Guide to Student Paraphrasing Worksheets)

    7.    Plot Synopsis 

    8.    Acting Scripts

    • Differences Between Stage It and Full-Length Scripts

    • How Are Scripts Organized?

    • Use of Soliloquy

    • Complex Characters and Archetypes

    • Acting Scripts

    9.    Instructor and Student Resources

    • Student Paraphrasing Worksheets

    • Shakespeare Certificate

    • Culminating Performance Program Template

    10.  Glossary

    11.  References

Book cover titled 'Staging Henry V', showing children performing a play outdoors in front of an audience, with greenery and a stone wall in the background, and a blue banner at the bottom with the author's name Floyd Rumohr and the Routledge logo.

“Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more!” we hear before the great battle of Agincourt. Beware! Conspiratorial snakes hide in the grass waiting to strike and undermine our beloved king. Will King Henry and his “band of brothers” defeat the French in battle and assume the throne? Will he marry the French Princess? Not even a muse of fire can answer those questions. Stage it to find out!

  • 1.   Introduction

    • Who Is This Book For?

    • What This Book is Not

    2.    Use of Language in Henry V

    • Nouns

    • Verbs

    • Adjectives

    • Relishing Repetitions

    • Metaphors

    • Use of French

    3.    Notable Quotations

    4.    Interpreting the Play

    5.    Cast of Characters

    6.    Contemporary English Version

    (Teacher’s Guide to Student Paraphrasing Worksheets)

    7.    Plot Synopsis 

    8.    Acting Scripts

    • Differences Between Stage It and Full-Length Scripts

    • How Are Scripts Organized?

    • Use of Soliloquy

    • Complex Characters and Archetypes

    • Acting Scripts

    9.    Instructor and Student Resources

    • Student Paraphrasing Worksheets

    • Shakespeare Certificate

    • Culminating Performance Program Template

    10.  Glossary

    11.  References

Book cover titled "Staging Julius Caesar" featuring a photograph of children performing a play outdoors, with an audience of adults seated nearby. The book is authored by Floyd Rumohr and published by Routledge.

“Beware the ides of March” warns the soothsaying Chorus in one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Will Julius Caesar discover the conspirators who plot his demise before the dreaded date of March 15? What fate awaits Caesar in the senate chamber? Friendship, betrayal, and murder take center stage in this classic story.

  • 1.   Introduction

    • Who Is This Book For?

    • What This Book is Not

    2.    Use of Language in Julius Caesar

    • Adjectives

    • Verbs

    • Nouns

    • Synonyms for "Press"

    3.    Notable Quotations

    4.    Interpreting the Play

    5.    Cast of Characters

    6.    Contemporary English Version

    (Teacher’s Guide to Student Paraphrasing Worksheets)

    7.    Plot Synopsis 

    8.    Acting Scripts

    • Differences Between Stage It and Full-Length Scripts

    • How Are Scripts Organized?

    • Use of Soliloquy

    • Complex Characters and Archetypes

    • Acting Scripts

    9.    Instructor and Student Resources

    • Student Paraphrasing Worksheets

    • Shakespeare Certificate

    • Culminating Performance Program Template

    10.  Glossary

    11.  References

Book cover titled 'Staging Othello' featuring a photo of children performing a play outdoors in a park, with spectators watching. The book is authored by Floyd Rumohr and published by Routledge.

A classic tale of jealousy -- the green-eyed monster that devours Othello's soul! Othello, a general in the army, loves his wife, Desdemona, “not wisely, but too well". The villainous Iago manipulates Othello into believing that Desdemona has a boyfriend on the side. Othello's jealousy and mistrust lead to a tragic conclusion that reveals a terrible truth.

  • 1.   Introduction

    • Who Is This Book For?

    • What This Book is Not

    2.    Use of Language in Othello

    • Adjectives

    • Verbs

    • Metaphors

    3.    Notable Quotations

    4.    Interpreting the Play

    5.    Cast of Characters

    6.    Contemporary English Version

    (Teacher’s Guide to Student Paraphrasing Worksheets)

    7.    Plot Synopsis 

    8.    Acting Scripts

    • Differences Between Stage It and Full-Length Scripts

    • How Are Scripts Organized?

    • Use of Soliloquy

    • Complex Characters and Archetypes

    • Acting Scripts

    9.    Instructor and Student Resources

    • Student Paraphrasing Worksheets

    • Shakespeare Certificate

    • Culminating Performance Program Template

    10.  Glossary

    11.  References

More Resources

In addition to the four plays, Stage It provides the following downloadable resources below at no additional cost.

Student Paraphrasing Worksheets

Students put Shakespeare into their own words! Provided as a PDF for easy duplication, this handy resource is paired with the Contemporary English Version (teacher’s guide) in each play.

Culminating Performance Program Template

This leave-behind for school community members who attend the culminating performance is also provided in MS Word format for easy editing. It contains fields for the cast and helpers along the way.

Shakespeare Certificate

Your students screwed courage to the sticking place to thwart instruments of darkness in commitment to the Bard. It’s time to dub them “Shakespeare Thespians”!