Students and Shakespeare fans alike can enjoy Romeo and Juliet on the iPad with a new app developed by Irish software company Mindconnex.
‘Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo & Juliet’, is an innovative iPad app that combines interactivity and different elements of digital media to make the classic play more accessible to those studying the bard.
Already available for the iPhone as well as the PC and the Mac, ‘Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo & Juliet’ includes the unabridged text, study notes and high quality animations. The study notes include character profiles with age, main characteristics, associates and full descriptions.
It also has a professional recording or audio book of the play, with actress Kate Beckinsale voicing Juliet and actor Michael Sheen performing the role of her ill-fated lover Romeo.
“Making ‘Romeo & Juliet’ available for the iPad allows us to provide totally new ways for people to engage with Shakespeare’s works using state-of-the-art communication devices,” said Fergus Connolly, director, Mindconnex Learning.
“The iPad is ideally suited for use by students. It’s cheaper and less cumbersome than a laptop, but offers much richer media experiences than so-called e-book devices. With our iPhone/iPad titles, students will now be able to easily access their own feature-length animated version of a play with text, analysis and other support features in class, at home or on the move,” he added.
‘Shakespeare In Bits: Romeo & Juliet’ costs €11.99 and is available now on the Apple App Store.
By Marie Boran
Photo: Michael Cordner, CTO, Trevor Courtney, lead animator, Fergus Connolly, director, product development and Jeremiah McAuliffe, creative director, ‘Shakespeare in Bits‘
