Travel to 11th century Scotland with Theatre Arts’ new production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes...to the Lees-91探花 stage, that is. The college’s Theatre Arts department will put on their production of William Shakespeare’s classic tale of greed and glory “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Thursday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, March 2.
Written around 400 years ago, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” has stood the test of time, drawing eager audiences for centuries, thanks to its evergreen themes, fantastical elements, and adaptable storyline. Full of murder, witches, omens, and kings, this twisting tale will take the stage in Hayes Auditorium peopled by a cast of student actors eager to put their spin on the well-known production.
Set in 11th century Scotland, the titular Macbeth—having just won two monumental battles for his country—becomes obsessed with winning the throne after encountering three witches who foresee his rise to Thane of Cawdor and ultimately to King of Scotland. The epic tale charts Macbeth’s descent into madness as he goes on a campaign to win the throne, no matter the consequences.
“The real underlying theme in ‘Macbeth’ is greed. You always want more no matter what you get, and even though that’s not a good thing, I think people can resonate with that,” junior Theatre Arts major Abby Austin said. “Shakespeare wrote what he wrote hundreds of years ago, and that’s what we have, but every director and actor is able to interpret that and make it their own. Every time you go to see ‘Macbeth,’ it’s like, ‘oh my gosh, what’s going to happen,’ because you can really change the whole plot if you want to.”
Austin plays the roles of Donalbain, a son of King Duncan of Scotland; Seyton, Macbeth’s primary servant; and the second witch, one of the three who prophesize Macbeth’s ascent to the throne and guide the audience through the story. The latter of the three roles Austin says will be portrayed a bit differently than in other productions of the show.
“Everyone does something entirely different with the witches, and we have taken them and really made them our own, so they are a lot different than other productions. That has been a big challenge,” Austin said.
Having never acted in a Shakespeare production before, Austin cites the playwright’s writing and the early English language as one of the most challenging aspects of the show.
“The big difference between Shakespeare and a regular play is the language. It was written a very, very long time ago, and a lot of the words are words we don’t know, or are spelled differently, so diction is very important,” Austin said. “Kind of what made Shakespeare so iconic is that people went to his shows and felt like they were in another world. He has a very otherworldly feel to his writing, so being able to get into that is really important. It’s very different from doing a different show in traditional English.”
While the show’s language is old, the students and faculty behind this production of “Macbeth” have included some updated twists to bring fresh life to the show, making it a must-see for Shakespeare newbies and fanatics alike.
There will be three evening performances of “Macbeth” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1. There will be one matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 2. All performances will be in Hayes Auditorium on the college’s North Campus.
Tickets for all performances are on sale now at $16.50 per adult and $11.50 per student.
