KS2 Music: Shakespeare on Trial!

Introduction

Shakespeare on Trial!

JUDGE: William Shakespeare, four hundred years after your death your work is accused of being boring and out of date. How do you plead?

Shakespeare on Trial! is a musical play for schools celebrating the life and works of William Shakespeare 400 years after his death. The playscript has been written by Michael Coleman and is ideal for the top end of primary school or the early years of secondary. The playscript includes nine songs with music composed by Barry Gibson.

Shakespeare on Trial! is free to download as either a pdf file (landscape format) or a Word document (portrait format). The online resources supporting the playscript are all also free to download and include:

Downloading the songs and SFX files

You can download the songs and SFX file of songs and sound effects and use them for your performance of our Shakespeare musical. The cues have been labelled to match the titles used in the playscript.

If the SFX .zip file refuses to download you should be able to resolve the issue as follows:

  • Google Chrome. Right click on the download link and select ‘Open link in new window’. Make sure the link address is highlighted in the search window and press return.
  • Microsoft Edge. Click on the download link. When you see a message that the file ‘Can’t be downloaded securely’ click on the 3 little dots and select ‘Open downloads page’. On the downloads page click on ‘Keep’. When you see another message that ‘This file can’t be downloaded securely’ click ‘Keep anyway’.
  • Firefox. Click on the download link. When the dialogue box appears click the small arrow to the right of the file name and select ‘Allow download’.

The complete package of supporting resources will help your group to rehearse and stage a really memorable performance of the play.

A rock’n’roll number with elements of blues, boogie-woogie and doo-wop.

Song 1: 'Shakie! Shakie!'

Celebrating Shakespeare's enormous contribution to the English language.

Song 2: 'Words, Words, Words'

An Elizabethan style song with instrumental verses for movement sequences.

Song 3: 'Going to the Play'

Exploring play genres - Histories, Comedies, Tragedies and Romances! Backing track.

Song 4: 'H, C, T and R!'

A song contrasting gentle music with the gruesome reality of Tudor life.

Song 5: 'Blood and Guts and Gore'

A song exploring belief in the supernatural - add your own comic touches! Full vocal.

Song 6: 'Supernaturally!'

Ariel's song from The Tempest given a gentle, ethereal and haunting style.

Song 7: 'Full Fathom Five'

A comic song with a rousing music-hall chorus for everyone to join in with!

Song 8: 'Boys Will Be Girls'

An up-beat, syncopated, Latin-style song, celebrating Shakespeare's genius.

Song 9: 'For All Time'

Resources

Download the songs as mp3 files

Download the full vocal and backing track arrangements of each song as mp3 files

Download the songs as mp3 files

All the audio cues included in the playscript (the backing tracks of the songs plus incidental music and sound effects) - as a zip file (62 MB)

Audio cues and sound effects