Macbeth has a wonderful sense of immediacy. To me, the play has always felt as if we have picked up the story a third of the way in and we have only a few brief interactions with which to convey the entire substance of the play’s relationships. Because of this immediacy, powerful characters and relationships must be created early in the performance in order to let the audience fully embrace the emotional twists and turns in this roller-coaster ride of a play. To that end I worked hard to create a tightly interwoven acting company that was both willing and able to explore the emotional journey of each character, using a highly physical acting language that naturally animates each performer’s body as they speak. I encourage all actors working with me to explore their characters from all sorts of different and surprising angles in order to avoid the usual and the expected in Shakespearean performance. As theatre-makers I believe we are often tempted to try to recreate performances or characters that we’ve seen the likes of Dame Judi Dench or Sir Kenneth Branagh create. Whilst these and many more wonderfully influential and iconic artists have done phenomenally unforgettable work, I ask my actors to remember that these “greats” are only single links in a theatrical chain that connects these plays through generations of productions and performances. As a director, I am focused on the idea that the characters within this world are not doomed, that they are making choices just as we do from moment to moment, and have no more idea than we where these choices will ultimately lead them. This production of Macbeth offers a fresh take one of the best know tragedies, a perspective that would not have been possible if we hadn’t had the opportunity to watch, be a part of, and grow from past performances.
Macbeth was performed in 2014 at the Theatre Garage, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Produced by Mission Theatre.
DIRECTOR
Penelope Parsons-Lord
DESIGNERS
Set design Justine Hooper
Lighting design Tony Stoeri
Sound design Joe Gamble
Costume design Penelope Parsons-Lord
CAST
Macbeth Michael Kelly
Lady Macbeth Amy Vickroy
Seyton/Ensemble Ashley Hovell
Duncan/Doctor/Murder/Ensemble Aaron Ruder
Banquo/Ensemble Craig Fernholz
Malcolm/Macduff Child/Ensemble Maria Signorelli
Donalbain/Vocalist/Ensemble Amanda Johnson
Fleance/Lord Macduff/Ensemble Matt Ouren
Ross/Murderer/Ensemble Eric Larson
Lennox/Macduff Child/Ensemble Derek Dirlam
Macduff/Enselble Meagan Kedrowski
Young Siward/Macduff Child/Ensemble Jessica Smith
Weird Sisters Abby DeSanto, Anneliese Stuht and Andrea Rose Tonsfeld
