Students from 12 primary schools received a tragically memorable experience of Shakespeare last term when children’s author Andy Griffiths gave a live and virtual preview of his latest exploit, Just Macbeth!

Filmed at the Centre for Learning Innovation (CLI), a group of Year 5 and 6 students from Newington Public School joined Mr Griffiths in the studio to take part in an interactive version of the play in which a variety of disgusting and silly plots were explored. Students from Gresford Public and others from Newington Public participated remotely via videoconferencing. A further 10 schools watched the scenario via a web-streamed learncast while posting chatroom comments about how they believed the plots should be played out. About 400 students were involved.

The event was a partnership between CLI and drama company Bell Shakespeare, which commissioned Mr Griffiths to write a version of Macbeth using the characters Andy, Lisa, Danny and Jen from his Just Tricking! Just Stupid! and Just Shocking! books.

Ann Rattey, a chief learning design officer at CLI, says Mr Griffiths’ delivery of the play, a Q&A session with the students and a directory of other useful resources will be developed as part of CLI’s masterclass series.

She says the online resource will be available for all NSW public school teachers to use as a fun way of introducing Shakespeare to young children.

“It will provide a taste of the kinds of chances Macbeth encounters, infused with Griffiths’ silliness,” Ms Rattey says.

Mr Griffiths says the resource introduces students to Shakespeare in a “non-threatening” way and enables them to see the parallels between Shakespeare’s stories and other contemporary stories such as his own.

“Obviously Shakespeare plays for dramatic effects whereas I do it for laughs but it’s almost the same pitch,” he says.

Mr Griffiths says the event’s online delivery means he can overcome the physical restraints of time and distance.

“This goes far and wide so a kid can sit down and study it in their time. There’s only a certain amount of time I can take away from the writing desk … whereas the internet is going 24 hours a day.”

Go to www.tale.edu.au