Henry V: The 30-Minute Shakespeare
70
Henry V: The 30-Minute Shakespeare
70Paperback
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Overview
"A truly fun, emotional, and sometimes magical first experience, usually guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive educator." --Library Journal
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
This edition of Henry V presents eight scenes, using all actors as Chorus. Included in this riveting cutting are Henry's inspiring "band of brothers" oration to his men, a merry interlude with Bardolph and friends, and an irresistible scene in which Alice teaches English to Katherine and her ladies in waiting. There is also an essay by editor Nick Newlin on how to produce a Shakespeare Play with novice actors, and notes about the original production of this abridgement at the Folger Shakespeare Library's annual Student Shakespeare Festival.
Nicolo Whimsey Press aims to make Shakespeare's plays accessible, performable, and fun for young people, regardless of their experience level.
Through his twenty years of working as a director-in-residence in DC public high schools under the auspices of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Nick Newlin has created thirty-minute edits of Shakespeare's plays, complete with stage directions and character suggestions that can be performed by groups of fifteen to thirty young people.
Performance rights are included with the purchase of play scripts. Unlike most other scripts on the market today, The 30-Minute Shakespeare has no separate charge for public performances, making each volume an exceptional value.
What makes these books extraordinary is author Nick Newlin's breadth of expertise and experience as a performer, teaching artist and scholar. Newlin holds a BA from Harvard University and an MA in Theatre from the University of Maryland. He has performed a stage act for young people as Nicolo Whimsey since 1986 from the high Himalayas to the White House, and since 2006 he has conducted a teaching artist residency with DC Public High School Students with Folger Shakespeare Library.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781935550389 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nicolo Whimsey Press |
| Publication date: | 09/17/2019 |
| Series: | 30-Minute Shakespeare Series |
| Pages: | 70 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d) |
| Age Range: | 12 - 18 Years |
About the Author
international audiences for 30 years. Since 1996, he has conducted an annual
Play Directing residency affiliated with the
Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.
Nick has a BA from Harvard University with Honors 1982
and an MA in Theater from The University of Maryland
with an emphasis on Play Directing. Mr. Newlin now has 20 plays
in The 30-Minute Shakespeare series, plus
The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology: 18 Student Scenes with Monologues.
In 2017 Mr. Newlin collaborated with Emmy Award winning The Simpsons writer
Mike Reiss on a new play "Shakespeare's Worst", which had its world premiere at
Bristol Shakespeare Festival in the UK in 2017. Shakespeare's Worst
played in Summer 2018 at Utah Shakespeare Festival. Summer 2019 Shakespeare's Worst
will be produced by Capital Fringe Festival at Washington DC's Arena Stage.
The Nicolo Whimsey Show has performed at The Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre
where they were honored with Legacy Artist award,
The National Theatre in Washington, DC, and the White House
Date of Death:
2018Place of Birth:
Stratford-upon-Avon, United KingdomPlace of Death:
Stratford-upon-Avon, United KingdomRead an Excerpt
Characters in the Play
The following is a list of characters that appear in this cutting of
Henry V.
Fifteen actors appeared in the original production. The number can
be increased to about thirty or decreased to about eight by having
actors share or double roles.
For the full breakdown of characters, see Sample Program.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
BISHOP OF ELY
KING HENRY V: The young, recently crowned king of England
DUKE OF EXETER: Uncle to the king
EARL OF WESTMORELAND: Cousin to the king
AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE
BARDOLPH
PISTOL
NYM
BOY
CAPTAIN FLUELLEN: Officer in the king’s army
KATHERINE of france: Young princess of France
ALICE: A gentlewoman waiting on Katherine
SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM: Soldier in the king’s army
MICHAEL WILLIAMS: Soldier in the king’s army
KING OF FRANCE: King Charles VI
Former companions to Henry, now in his army
Powerful and wealthy
English clergymen
✴✴SCENE 1. (Act I, prologue | Act 1,
Scene I)
London. The king’s palace.
Enter CHOR US, forming a tight circle facing each other. One by
one, chorus members leave the circle, speak their line, and go to
either stage right or stage left. Ultimately, this will form a wide
“V” shape, with chorus members facing the audience.
CHORUS
O, for a muse of fire that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention!
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars, and at his heels,
Leashed in like hounds,
should famine, sword, and
fire crouch for employment.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high uprearèd and abutting fronts
(ALL raise arms up)
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.
(ALL bring arms down and out to sides)
Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i’ th’ receiving earth,
For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings.
Exit ALL except bishops of cANTERB URY and ELY .
2 ✴ henry V
CANTERB URY and ELY walk downstage center conspiratorially,
looking around.
Stagehand sets chair/throne upstage center behind the BISHO PS.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
The King is full of grace and fair regard.
BISHOP OF ELY
And a true lover of the holy Church.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
List his discourse of war, and you shall hear
A fearful battle rendered you in music;
Enter EXETER and WES TMOREL AND from upstage right. They walk
upstage left, conversing, then exit stage left. In passing, they give
a quick glance to ELY and CANTERB URY .
(whispering) I have made an offer to his Majesty—
As touching France—to give a greater sum
Than ever at one time the clergy yet
Did to his predecessors part withal.
The French ambassador is come to give him hearing.
Characters in the Play
The following is a list of characters that appear in this cutting of
Henry V.
Fifteen actors appeared in the original production. The number can
be increased to about thirty or decreased to about eight by having
actors share or double roles.
For the full breakdown of characters, see Sample Program.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
BISHOP OF ELY
KING HENRY V: The young, recently crowned king of England
DUKE OF EXETER: Uncle to the king
EARL OF WESTMORELAND: Cousin to the king
AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE
BARDOLPH
PISTOL
NYM
BOY
CAPTAIN FLUELLEN: Officer in the king’s army
KATHERINE of france: Young princess of France
ALICE: A gentlewoman waiting on Katherine
SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM: Soldier in the king’s army
MICHAEL WILLIAMS: Soldier in the king’s army
KING OF FRANCE: King Charles VI
Former companions to Henry, now in his army
Powerful and wealthy
English clergymen
✴✴SCENE 1. (Act I, prologue | Act 1,
Scene I)
London. The king’s palace.
Enter CHOR US, forming a tight circle facing each other. One by
one, chorus members leave the circle, speak their line, and go to
either stage right or stage left. Ultimately, this will form a wide
“V” shape, with chorus members facing the audience.
CHORUS
O, for a muse of fire that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention!
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars, and at his heels,
Leashed in like hounds,
should famine, sword, and
fire crouch for employment.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high uprearèd and abutting fronts
(ALL raise arms up)
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.
(ALL bring arms down and out to sides)
Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i’ th’ receiving earth,
For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings.
Exit ALL except bishops of cANTERB URY and ELY .
2 ✴ henry V
CANTERB URY and ELY walk downstage center conspiratorially,
looking around.
Stagehand sets chair/throne upstage center behind the BISHO PS.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
The King is full of grace and fair regard.
BISHOP OF ELY
And a true lover of the holy Church.
BISHOP OF CANTERBURY
List his discourse of war, and you shall hear
A fearful battle rendered you in music;
Enter EXETER and WES TMOREL AND from upstage right. They walk
upstage left, conversing, then exit stage left. In passing, they give
a quick glance to ELY and CANTERB URY .
(whispering) I have made an offer to his Majesty—
As touching France—to give a greater sum
Than ever at one time the clergy yet
Did to his predecessors part withal.
The French ambassador is come to give him hearing.
teachers, for helping a class actively participate in the process of getting
to know a Shakespeare play. For more simple theater games,
Viola Spolin’s Theatre Games for the Classroom is very helpful, as is
one I use frequently, Theatre Games for Young Performers.
✴✴ Performance Notes: Henry V
Scene 1 (Act I, prologue)
The play begins with a military drumbeat played by a Chorus member.
The cast is dressed in simple black, entering from both sides of the
stage and forming a tight group facing into themselves. They chant
in a kind of low rumble, using words that include “war, war,” “I’m
not ready to die,” and “monarch.” This has the effect of introducing
the Chorus as central to the play. Out of that group emerges the first
speaker, who utters the immortal first line: “Oh for a muse of fire that
would ascend the brightest heaven of invention!”
The Chorus stands in a V-shaped line facing front, and each
member recites a line from the speech. It is a striking beginning
to the play and gives each actor an immediate role. The audience
receives multiple voices, timbres, pitches, and line interpretations.
The play is a group effort from the start.
In our production, the actors immediately fell to a common
malady: “upstage creep.” The Folger stage has two pillars on either
side of the stage at about the centerline. I always instruct the actors
to place themselves downstage of the pillars for greater visibility and
presence. However, because they were beginning actors at a one-time
festival performance and we had never rehearsed on that stage, their
tendency was to physically “retreat” from the audience.
Many of you reading this may have already rehearsed on the
same stage where you will perform. In rehearsal, I sometimes set up
chairs to represent the pillars on the Folger stage. If I had addressed
this tendency toward upstage creep and used chairs or other barriers
to keep students further downstage, I might have avoided this
50 ✴ henry V
unfortunate tendency. Often we do not learn from our mistakes until
after the fact!
In my case, having experienced the same issue before, I could have
tried to nip it in the bud earlier in the rehearsal process. Next time!
The Chorus speaks some of the lines to the opening speech as an
ensemble, lifting their arms up together on “Whose high uprearèd
and abutting fronts” and bringing them back down and to the sides
as if parting the seas on “The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.”
Simple ensemble gestures and tableaux go far in enhancing
Shakespeare’s vivid words. The entire Chorus exits to the same military
drumbeat, nicely framing the scene and reinforcing the military
tone of the play.
In our production, the “upstage creep” carried over into the
second part of the scene. The Bishops of Canterbury and Ely placed
themselves upstage of the throne instead of in front of it, which
affected both visibility and audibility. Especially with young actors,
players should ensure that they are both seen and heard, and directors
must continually stress this key point! Because my actors were
so far upstage, when Exeter and Westmoreland walked by the two
bishops, they walked in front of them instead of behind them, thus
literally upstaging them.
Exeter and Westmoreland should slow their gait and glance with
concealed interest at the two bishops, who should remain silent for
a few seconds to allow for the moment of mystery this scene entails.
Make sure your actors know that their words, gestures, facial expressions,
and movements all advance the plot and create a mood, in this
case one of dramatic tension and secrecy.
In this scene, Canterbury is describing a financial offer the
clergy made to Henry, one he wishes to keep secret from Exeter
and Westmoreland. If the actors are fully aware of these details of
plot and motivation, they will be better armed to tell the tale that
Shakespeare weaves with his words. To this end, the actor playing
Bishop of Canterbury in our production delivered a pitch perfect
“stage whisper.”
Table of Contents
✴✴ table of contents
Preface: No Experience Necessary..................................... vi
Characters in the Play........................................................ vIii
Henry V ........................................................................ 1
Performing Shakespeare................................................... 30
Performance Notes: Henry V.............................................. 49
Set and Prop List.............................................................. 64
Sample Program............................................................... 65
Additional Resources......................................................... 66