Cass Foster, Professor Emeritus of Theatre, has been actively involved in the theatre as an educator, director, fight choreographer and playwright. His teaching experience includes The Ohio State University, Capital University, Otterbein College, Central Arizona College and Mesa Community College. He has directed productions or choreographed fights at Players Theatre Columbus, University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana, Phoenix Theatre, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival, Case Western Reserve University, Arizona Jewish Theatre, Sedona Repertory Company, Lyric Opera, Phoenix Little Theatre, Sombrero Playhouse, The Ohio State University and the Great American People Show.
He currently resides on the beautiful Garden Isle of Kauai with his wife, Nellie.
Shakespeare's works are as relevant and as inspirational today as they were when audiences first paid a penny to attend his plays. Teachers will tell you it is truly a magical moment when students discover the beauty and messages of his plays.
The introduction of Shakespeare, however, is not an easy task. Sometimes the magic can use a little assistance...
Note: Hamlet is one of six books in the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series including Romeo and Juilet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night.
To make the works of Shakespeare accessible to all ages and levels of education, Cass Foster combines his experience as a Professor Emeritus of Theatre, Fight Choreographer and Stage Director to provide Shakespeare To Teach or not to Teach, Shakespeare for Children and the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series.
The Sixty Minute Shakespeare
Phoenix, AZ - The works of William Shakespeare are timeless-and they are time-consuming. Too valuable to be passed over by today's younger generation, Shakespeare's plays are, nonetheless, all too often avoided by students and teachers alike. Author Cass Foster, who has been involved in all aspects of theatre for over 35 years, has provided a solution.
The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an ideal alternative for those who lack the time to tackle the unabridged versions of the world's most widely read playwright. Foster has condensed the Bard's language, but has left the integrity of Shakespeare's writings intact so that students can experience the thrill of his stories as well as the beauty of his prose. In addition, the author has provided footnotes explaining some of the more arcane words and phrases so that the reader can better understand and, therefore, enjoy the plays.
This new series contains Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Hamlet. Foster, is quick to point out that the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is intended to be merely a stepping stone in the study of Shakespeare, not a substitute for the original works. He urges readers, "Go beyond the Sixty-Minute versions, using the appreciation and self-confidence you gained to go further. The more you read, the more you gain."
An ideal companion piece, Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach was co-authored by Foster and Lynn G. Johnson. This manual helps teachers prepare and present the teachings of Shakespeare from as early as second grade all the way through high school.
Foster is the director of a theatre program in a small college in central Arizona and currently the fight choreographer for the Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival. He has directed shows and staged fights at theatres and universities throughout the country.
The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare Series and Shakespeare: To Teach or Not to Teach are available through Five Star Publications, Incorporated, P.O. Box 6698, Chandler, AZ 85246-6698-6698. Inquiries may also be directed by phone to (480) 940-8182 and by fax to (480) 940-8787. Five Star Publications' e-mail address is info@FiveStarPublications.com.
