Tasha Graff, an English teacher at South Portland High School, believes that “Macbeth” is one of Shakespeare’s most accessible works. To help that along, this school year she’ll also be using a new play that brings the action right into the halls of a typical American high school.

Graff and the other sophomore English teachers will be using “Cauldron Bubble,” an original work by local playwright Brian Daly that spoofs many of the themes and elements of “Macbeth,” using humor and contemporary language.

Daly is an education technician at South Portland High School. In addition to “Cauldron Bubble,” he’s also written a musical, called “Come Out Swingin!,” that uses the title bout between boxers Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, which took place in Lewiston in the spring of 1965, as a jumping-off point.

Knowing that sophomore English classes in South Portland study “Macbeth,” Daly told the staff about his play, which features a high school student who believes he’s put the infamous “Macbeth” curse on his own school’s production of the Shakespeare classic. In theater circles, many think the play is cursed, and only refer to it as “The Scottish Play.” In “Macbeth,” a Scottish general receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland.

“’Cauldron Bubble’ has a couple of themes in common with ‘Macbeth,’” Daly said this week. “One is that there’s a price to be paid for ambition and another is that appearances aren’t necessarily (based in) reality.”

Daly said he wrote “Cauldron Bubble” because he wanted to to “write a play that has a lot of laughs and a few chills” that would be suitable for youthful audiences.

The play recently premiered at The Theater Project in Brunswick, where Wendy Poole, executive director, said “the script was perfect for our high school ensemble.”

Poole said The Theater Project is celebrating it’s 45th season this year, “and to honor this momentous occasion I chose to produce an entire season of original plays by Maine playwrights. I have known Brian for years and thought this was the perfect opportunity to work together.”

When choosing works for The Theater Project, she said, “I try to find pieces appropriate for each age group and a mix of funny, serious, poignant and family-friendly plays. I also like to have a mix of new works, as well as the classics.”

Graff said, “I’m thrilled to have the chance to use ‘Cauldron Bubble’ in the classroom. I’ve taught various Shakespeare plays every year for the last 10 years and ‘Macbeth’ is the play that students enjoy reading the most.

“The play is full of intrigue, shifting power dynamics, witchcraft, prophecies, rivalries and ghosts. Despite it’s mystical elements, it’s a text you can use to talk about gender stereotypes and political corruption throughout history and in contemporary society,” she added.

“What Brian has done with ‘Cauldron Bubble’ is to make the play directly applicable to high school. I will use it as a companion text, so students will understand the jokes and references that Brian uses in his play. “(It’s also) a funny and enjoyable antidote to some of the violence and bloodshed in ‘Macbeth,’” Graff said.

 Graff said students enjoy “Macbeth” because “the plot is easy to understand (and) the characters are layered and murky, which allows them to appreciate the psychological depth of how characters deal with power and the capacity for evil.”

Members of The Theater Project in Brunswick recently put on Brian Daly’s latest play, “Cauldron Bubble,” a spoof on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Students at South Portland High School will use the play as a companion piece when they study “Macbeth” this school year. From left are Emma Roth Wells, Grace Kneebone and Aidan Smart.