A classic Shakespearean tragedy is being staged as a “purging ritual of the male patriarchy” in the next Douglas College production.
The college’s department of theatre teams up with students in stagecraft and event technology to offer up Shakespeare’s story of the power-hungry Scottish king whose ambition wreaks havoc, bloodshed and death. The Tragedie of Macbeth is onstage from Friday, Nov. 1 to Friday, Nov. 8 at the college’s Studio Theatre.
Almost all of the main characters are men – but, in this production, every character is played by a woman.
Director Jeffrey Renn saw this is a chance to present Macbeth through a different lens.
“Macbeth is about the cyclical nature of entitled power,” Renn said in a press release. “As we look south of the border and watch the death grip of the entitled white patriarchy being pried from its levers of power, we need to have rituals that cleanse us from this dying patriarchy. Basically, this production is a company of ‘Wyrd Sisters’ playing Macbeth as a purging ritual of the male patriarchy.”
The audience will also be part of the ritual. The play is presented “in the round,” with playgoers sitting in a circle around the action, in a space designed to mimic a Celtic cross.
“We have created a ritual space, so when you walk into the theatre, you’re actually looking at a raised platform stone circle with four entrances and exits, which make that Celtic cross, the cross with the circle in the middle,” Renn said. “And it’s all candlelit. You’re definitely going to be walking into a ritual space.”
The cast includes Lois Warwick as Macbeth and Holly Newberry as Lady Macbeth, with Saxony Eccleston, Lauren Supinski and Hailey Conner as the Wyrd Sisters. The cast also includes Hana Nishimoto, Hope Scouten, Trinity Sullivan and Racheal Di Maggio.
The Studio Theatre is on the fourth floor (Room 4140, north side) at Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave.
Tickets are $20 regular, $10 for students and seniors, or $10 for all seats during matinees and Talkback Tuesdays. Buy through macbethdouglascollege.bpt.me.
For more information, see www.douglascollege.ca/artsevents.
