When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
In July, we were thrilled to launch our brand-new digital resource Macbeth:360 – our way of bringing Shakespeare’s dark, thrilling tragedy to life for students and teachers nationwide and beyond. The series features three 30-minute videos covering the full synopsis of the Scottish play. You’ll see Bell Shakespeare actors performing iconic scenes in Shakespeare’s original language, with our brilliant narrator Jules Billington breaking down the characters, language and themes in a way that is exciting, resonant, and accessible.
Director of Photography Laura Turner and Assistant Editor Zac Loy schemed some serious magic behind the scenes, and the final result is finally here. We are so proud of it. And best of all? The entire series is available online, forever, for free. This is only possible thanks to philanthropic support.
The launch was an outstanding success, welcoming primary and secondary teachers, along with supporters and creatives to preview the resource before its release. Their excitement about bringing the resource into classrooms was everything we’d hoped for (and more!).
Feedback from Classroom Teacher Lauren Heath, Wahroonga Preparatory School:
I attended the special event last night when Macbeth 360 was released to the wild, and what a privilege it was. I teach Year 5 and Year 6 and have made it a priority to involve Shakespeare in my teaching in primary schools for many years both here in Australia, and in England. Reading, viewing, acting and writing about his plays has brought me great joy in creating curriculums and in seeing the joy and progress it can inspire in children. This new resource you have developed is outstanding. I am only familiar with primary resources out there, but something like this has never quite existed for teachers and it is the resource I’d only dreamed of. I understand it’s pitched at Stage 4 students and beyond, however both the clarity of the performance and narration makes it a such a high quality text in itself, and makes it the perfect resource in which to challenge and get the best out of 12 and 13 year olds. I was there with two other primary teachers last night, and we all acknowledge the intense effort, expertise and craftsmanship involved in making Macbeth 360. Thank you.
Since the launch, the response has continued in a bounding upward trajectory. As of September, the resource has received over 4000 unique views. And when you think about one teacher using the videos with an entire classroom, that means tens of thousands of students across Australia have already encountered Shakespeare through Macbeth: 360.
The entire experience was both exhilarating and deeply rewarding for everyone involved, to the point that preparations are already underway for our next project: Othello: 360. This is thanks to the generous philanthropic support of our long-term supporter Dr Susan Pugh. Othello, alongside Hamlet has been re-introduced into the new Advanced English syllabus, meaning demand for accessible and high-quality resources will be significant among schools in the coming years.
We couldn’t have done this without the incredible generosity of the James N. Kirby Foundation. We can’t wait to see how many more classrooms and curious minds it reaches next. If you would like to learn more about this digital resource, contact Philanthropy Coordinator, Anna Day, on annad@bellshakespeare.com.au.
