Macbarova: Comedy Play for KS4

Macbarova is an original comedy play about a school putting on a performance of Macbeth. Also includes teacher’s notes and activities to help with the delivery and staging of the play, and a brief summary of Shakespearian genre and how this play borrows techniques and features from both comedy and tragedy.

Fun for pupils who have studied Shakespeare and know something about the comic allusions that he employs

K McLoughlin, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer
  • Running time: approximately 45 minutes
  • Characters: 21

Inexpensive to deliver as a performance piece and particular scenes are great for exploring black comedy, love triangles, and Shakespearian tragedy and comedy. Could be used as audition practice and preparation, as a school performance or incorporated into lessons

Macbarova introduces: Miss Zaharova, a pompous and theatrical diva who clearly believes that, if life were just, she should be with the Royal Shakespeare Company; ghosts, three girls who claim to tell the future and a very important fish! As the writer expresses, “it’s certainly intended to be a comedy and if anyone ends up crying through its reading or performance, then that will be the tragedy!

What do teachers say about this resource? (5126)

I enjoyed this resource and think there is a lot of merit in it as a piece for a school production. It would be a bit of fun for pupils who have studied Shakespeare and know something about the comic allusions that he employs. It could be used as a performance piece for the GCSE in Drama and also as a general piece for school productions

K McLoughlin, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer