Imagine that you work for a big Hollywood studio and you are going to pitch them your idea for a brand new rendition of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  It will be your job, over the next several weeks, to update one scene from the play into a more current time period.  A good example of this task is the film West Side Story. You are not being asked to write a line by line 'translation' of the text, but rather to adapt the story and its themes for an audience of the era that you choose.

Click here for more information on West Side Story.

You may want to visit the web site for the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet to see what NOT to do.  This adaptation brings Shakespeare into the '90s, but retains the Old English.  You must modernize your scene AND adapt the language.

After your group has completed the rewrite, you will then have to 'pitch' you idea to the class (or the 'studio heads'!).  Try to convince them why they should produce your version by explaining what you have done and performing your scene.  Your pitch will be centered around a Theatrical Portfolio which you will create in conjunction with the research you do.

Each member of the group will be responsible for completing one section of the Theatrical Portfolio, which will correspond to whatever role he or she takes on within the group.  But remember that this is a group endeavor, and so you will also be called upon to work cooperatively.  Your group's portfolio will include:

• The script of your rewrite (which you will write together!).
• A dictionary of tough Shakespearean terms you found in your original scene.
• Drawings and descriptions of costumes, sets, and props that could be used in performing both your play and Shakespeare's.
• An essay discussing theatric conventions of Shakespeare's time, and how they are differ from today.
• A cultural overview of the time period in which Shakespeare wrote.
• A cultural overview of the time period within which your scene takes place.