Despite what you may know about Macbeth, it was definitely not a sorry sight in this rehearsal session - it was one of the most intense bursts of acting I have ever witnessed. The cast of 19 performed the end of act 1 - some of which had only just been run through that very morning. The performance was electric and made me even more excited for when it tours to Oxford New Theatre (January 8 to January 12). After they wrapped up, a panel formed for a discussion about the production which included the National Theatre’s renowned director Rufus Norris - he’s co-directing Macbeth alongside Liz Stevenson. [caption id=“attachment_42929” align=“aligncenter” width=“710”]
From l to r_Rachel Sanders, James Robinson, Joseph Brown, Tom Mannion, Patrick Robinson. Credit Richard Hubert Smith[/caption] Listening to the panel it was incredible to hear, first hand, the scale of how much thought, time, and research has gone into the play - especially as this particular tour will be shown to 20,000 schools across the UK and Ireland as Macbeth is part of their syllabus. For some it may be strange to think of Shakespeare as contemporary, but when you really think about it the themes and motifs addressed in all of his plays are relevant - as I discussed with Liz Stevenson. “Macbeth and Lady Macbeth aren’t two evil people sat in their ivory towers – these are two people that are desperate, they’ve gone through so much struggle and strife during the war, and they’ve lost their children,” she explained. [caption id=“attachment_42950” align=“aligncenter” width=“713”]
Director Rufus Norris in rehearsal for Macbeth. Credit Richard Hubert Smith[/caption] “They’re given a glimmer of hope, and that hope – that they get to be King and Queen – means they’re safe and secure. We wanted to find a way to bring out humanity in them so that people would watch them and go ‘that could be me’. I think, because that was so important to Rufus, that makes it a really accessible, human, production.” The set has also been intricately designed to reflect our current, and potential, social and political climate. Everything has been constructed to identify modern circumstances and consequences in this revamped Shakespearean classic. [caption id=“attachment_42927” align=“aligncenter” width=“623”]
Elizabeth Chan (Witch). Credit Richard Hubert Smith[/caption] Liz continued: “If law and order was to disintegrate, if the internet was to crash, if the banks were to crash, if the world descended into chaos, we would end up in a place something like this - potentially. I think that’s why it’s another good one for students to see, because it’s not ‘we’re gonna do Macbeth and relate it to Victorian history’ – it’s set in the future, it’s whatever we imagine it to be, and I think that means they’re going in on the same page as everyone in the audience. “It’s imaging what the world could be like, and I think young people are really interested in that. There’s also a real diversity amongst the cast, and that’s how it should be – reflecting the world we see around us today. We really felt, where everybody’s done what they’ve needed to do to survive, they’ve adapted to survive this new world.”
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Rufus Norris (Director) and Kirsty Besterman (Lady Macbeth) Credit Richard Hubert Smith[/caption] You’re playing Lady Macbeth, an iconic role – how are you finding that? I’ve always wanted to play her, I think she’s wonderful – I don’t think she is the evil woman she’s painted to be. I think she’s fierce, but I also think what’s also attracted to me to her is that she’s lost her children and that her and husband are united in their grief – they are this incredible force. In our production they are more pragmatic, and they’re opportunistic survivors in a dark, horrible, world. How does this production resonate with the current social and political climate? There’s certainly an echo of someone getting into power who is mad, and everyone around him going ‘what the hell are we going to do about this?’ Because that also happens in the England scenes, they go ‘we’ve got to sort this out! And then of course, rather nastily in this play, - I hate to think about it – knife culture is a huge thing in this country and this play does not shy from it. Maybe seeing us all getting stabbed and bleeding out on stage will be a bit of a reminder that it’s not a game. I don’t want to glamorise using a knife but it is a part of this play. Why do you think theatre is an important part of school education? As an actor my love for theatre started when I started watching plays from a young age. I’ve also worked a lot in schools doing workshops, and I see kids come alive when they get to do this stuff. They just start bouncing off each other - drama can build confidence in a really brilliant way. It gives them the chance to be other characters and to work with each other, and to listen to each other. It has huge benefits. For further information about Macbeth at New Theatre Oxford, and to purchase tickets, click here.
