An introduction to the world of William Shakespeare for primary schools, targeting grades 5 and 6.

Magic Box introduces Primary School students to the magical world of William Shakespeare. An Executioner takes the students back into the Elizabethan England. An actor from the 21st century has lost her colleague and is forced to improvise without him. To do so she conducts a quiz, tries on some costumes and demonstrates how Shakespeare's plays were staged. With the aid of some "fairies" she conjures Ben Johnson from the magic box. He assists her in staging some scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet as well as exploring some of Shakespeare's themes and characters.

This script was originally developed as part of a series, for Bell Shakespeare’s Actors At Work programme, performed between the years 2005 – 2011. Ned Manning would like to acknowledge the following people for their involvement and contribution to the development of these scripts: John Bell, Matt Edgerton (Director and dramaturg), Marion Potts (Director), John Sheedy (Director), Christopher Hurrell (Director), Naomi Edwards (Director), Damien Ryan (Director), Wayne Blair (Director), Sean O’Shea (Director) and the many actors who performed the plays around Australia.