'Sixty-Minute Shakespeare' Series Launches

CHANDLER, Ariz., Sept. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ As English teachers across the globe contemplate how to mark the 400 th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death next year, they'll be faced with one question when considering tackling the works of Shakespeare: To read or not to read?

Thanks to author and professor emeritus Cass Foster, teachers won't need to shy away from assigning the Bard's timeless, albeit often daunting literature, out of fear their students might struggle to follow or understand what they're reading. Cass Foster's acclaimed Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an ideal alternative to help students embrace what many consider to be the world's greatest playwright.

Foster's renditions of the timeless tales are not adaptations or modernizations. Instead, the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series adeptly retains the integrity of the playwright's rich poetic language by reducing but not changing the text, while making it easier to move through the plot with footnotes to explain unfamiliar words and phrases. He uses his three decades of directing experience to offer suggestions for staging, casting, pacing and thematic exploration. His goal is to help the participant better relate to and ultimately enjoy the plays so instead of fearing Shakespeare, they come back for more.

Boasting a membership of more than 3 million, in February 2002, NEA Today wrote this about the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series, "Rather than retell, the series preserves the original play format and the Bard's language, while providing excellent footnotes to archaic words. It's a smart stepping stone to the real thing."

The seven-book series includes Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrewand Twelfth Night.

"We published our first Sixty-Minute Shakespearebook with the adaptation of Romeo and Julietback in the 1990." says Linda F. Radke, president and founder of Five Star Publications, Inc. "The fact that it is still relevant and sells so well all these years later speaks volumes about Cass' foresight and willingness to forego conventionality by creating these adaptations."

A lover of all things theatre, Foster's teaching experience includes Ohio State University, Otterbein College and Central Arizona College. He has directed shows and staged fights at theatres and universities throughout the country. Foster also coauthored To Teach or not to Teach: Teaching Shakespeare Made Fun! with Lynn G. Johnson.

The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series and To Teach or not to Teach: Teaching Shakespeare Made Fun! are published by Five Star Publications, Inc. and distributed through Midpoint Trade Books, Ingram, Baker and Taylor and the Five Star Publications online bookstore.

Now celebrating its 30 th year in business, Five Star Publications, Inc. is a proud publisher of award-winning books in multiple genres and promotes excellence in literature through book production, marketing, contests and consultation. Visit www.FiveStarPublications.com, call (480) 940-8182 or email publisher@FivestarPublications.com to learn more about Five Star titles, author events, special engagements and more. For more information about Cass Foster and his books the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series or To Teach or not to Teach: Teaching Shakespeare Made Fun!, visit www.GetShakespeare.com.

Media Contact: Linda F. Radke, Five Star Publications, Inc., 480-940-8182, info@fivestarpublications.com

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SOURCE Five Star Publications, Inc.