Set here and now, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s production of the classic tragedy Macbeth spins the bloody horror in a modern light.
At the top of the show, the stage is set with an interactive element in mind. The entire cast is dressed in unkempt, contemporary clothing and presents the majority of the story on the back of a pick-up stage left, a sound stage set in the center, a side platform stage right and the grass encompassing the three.
The show opens with Macbeth, a Scottish general, receiving a prophesy from three witches, claiming that he will be King of Scotland.
Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth proceeds to kill anyone that poses a threat to his crown, but he manages to lose his humanity in the process.
Junior Morgan Bowling plays Seyton. “He’s Macbeth’s personal mercenary, but I also represent the death that’s happened because of him,” Bowling said.
Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, become hungry for the power they are set to inherit and do whatever it takes to get what’s promised to them, including taking responsibility for the murders of close friends and innocent little ones.
The murders are executed by Seyton and his army. After each character suffers a tragic death, they then rise from the ground and join the army of Seyton in accompanying Macbeth throughout the story.
“I play The Porter,” junior Mary Elizabeth Roberts said. “I am the gatekeeper for the Macbeth household. The Porter just kind of comes out in the middle of all this tragedy and chaos and is very vile and crude.
“It’s so fun to interact with the audience and give them this weird moment of humor in the middle of something not so humorous.”
Directed by seasoned veteran Nat McIntyre, Macbeth features the 2016-2017 Nashville Shakespeare Apprenticeship Company and invites the audience into an innovated adaption of a timeless classic.
“He wanted the show to be like a bunch of kids that come to the park to see a show, but the witches conjure us to be the vessels that tell the story,” Roberts said. “We use a lot of found objects for lighting, sound and props.
“This is definitely a very different version of Macbeth than any that’s been done before. It’s like The Blair Witch Project meets Mean Girls meets Heathers.”
Bowling added that because this production features entirely young people, McIntyre’s script of the show relates to the general audience in a way that normal performances or readings of Shakespeare can’t do.
“He wanted it to be relatable to people our age,” she said. “I really love how they decided that death and resurrection would play a big part in our production. It adds a whole new creep level to the story and makes it really cool.”
In addition to Bowling and Roberts, Nashville Shakespeare’s Macbeth features several more Lipscomb students and alumni. Senior Ann Marie Bagge portrays Duncan, while alumni Jonah Jackson and Andrew Johnson play Macduff and Macbeth respectively.
“This has been the best theatre experience I have ever had,” Roberts said. “I’ve grown so much as an actor but also as a professional and as a person. You have to be very disciplined in this program and do your work, but then you get to play and work with such an amazing group of talented people.”
Macbeth runs for its final weekend in Centennial Park. Catch Roberts, Bowling and the rest of the cast in action this Thursday and Friday (Sept. 8-9) as they wrap up the final execution of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.
“We push each other. We are a family,” Roberts said. “If you’re a theatre student or someone that is interested in learning and crafting Shakespeare, I highly recommend auditioning next year. It’s such a rewarding experience.”