Botanic Gardens, Albury
Fri, Sat March 3, 4, 10 & 11, 2017
Synopsis:
Macbeth is a Scottish thane (lord) who is much admired for his bravery and skill in battle. One night on a stormy heath he meets a trio of witches who tell him that he will be king. With the aid of his powerful wife, Lady Macbeth, he plots and schemes with all consuming ambition to ensure the prophesy rings true. But once King, even Macbeth’s closest friends and allies soon become the targets of his treachery. As his guilt begins to overwhelm him, Macbeth once more seeks out the witches. They play on Macbeth’s weaknesses and ambition, creating a tyrant and throwing Scotland into chaos.
Spurred by Macbeth’s madness, Macduff and Malcolm, the rightful king, return to Scotland to challenge the tyrant and avenge their families…
This performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. This production is being judged for the 2017 Georgy Awards to be presented at the Eastbank Centre, Shepparton in November 2017.
Cast:
Macbeth MATT LANE
Banquo DARBY QUINLIVAN
Macduff JOHN PARRY
Duncan CLEVELAND SHAW
Malcolm SCOTT BISHOP
Dorialbain/Squire WILLIAM PHILLIPS
Lady Macbeth TANYA HARVEY
Witches ANNE DOBSON, HELEN LOCKHART, DANIELLE MOHR
Ensemble CAITLIN BRICE, SOPHIE COLESHILL, GEORGINA CRUTCH, SHOSHANNA GRIFFIN, KAZ HICKS, NATASHA IRWIN, GEORGE PENDER, LAURA SHERIDAN, PIETA SWANN, SUSAN VACCARO
Director (notes):
I have always been entranced by language, the written word and how it is used. I was first introduced to Shakespeare in high school and I loved how Shakespeare’s language brought a complex world of history, ideas, thoughts and emotion to life. When I saw a Bell Shakespeare performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, the magic of the words came to life and I was hooked.
Macbeth has always been on my bucket list, as both an actor and director. The complex manifestations of Macbeth and his Lady’s minds, thoughts and actions are compelling to work with and the age old themes of revenge, guilt, betrayal and revelation of character play out in a beautifully written piece of work. For some time, Pieta Swann and I have been talking through ideas on how to bring Macbeth to a modern theatre audience. We hope you enjoy our reinterpretation.
I have worked with a solid team of performers who come from all backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. They have all worked very hard and it has been fantastic to explore ideas together. Thank you for your dedication, your performances will reflect all the hours you’ve put in.
I would like to thank my amazing production crew. Thank you Pieta Swann for reinterpreting the script, keeping me calm, keeping rehearsals running smoothly and for directing my work as Lady Macbeth. Thank you Ro McGillivray, for making some incredible costumes, managing the performance and for remaining positive and upbeat in the face of problems. Shoshanna Griffin, thank you for the time you have spent doing administration, and for your ability to get people to do things. Thank you Susan Vaccaro, for your work on our fight sequences and movement, and for understanding that actors are not dancers! Without the help and support of these wonderful people this show would still be a dream waiting to be ticked off my bucket list.
Finally I would like to thank you for your patronage. Community theatre is a vital link to the arts and culture in our community and your support ensures that we will be able to continue an annual Shakespeare in the Gardens event. If you enjoyed the show please tell your friends and family about the award winning Other Theatre Company and come and see our future shows. TANYA HARVEY
Crew:
Director TANYA HARVEY / PIETA SWANN
Producer SHOSHANNA GRIFFIN
Costume Design RO MCGILLIVRAY
Movement Sequences SUSAN VACCARO
Script Adaptation PIETA SWANN
Music ANDRINA DIXON, BRIGITTE FORD, MAIA FORD, KAREN MACLEAN, ERIN SWANN, STEVEN SWANN, TARA SWANN, LEON WALSH
Stage Management RO MCGILLIVRAY, SABINE JORGENSEN
Technical Elements PARTY OZ ENTERTAINMENT
Stage Hands JACOB DUCK, JACINTA ORGILL, CAMERON COYLE, DUNCAN BROWN
Front of House PETER UNIACKE, TIM VAN VEEN, COLM COX, DONNA BISHOP, ANDREE PENDER, CHRISTINE DUFF, JODIE SCHUTTE, DENISE PARRY
Graphic Designer LAURA UNIACKE of RUBY JAY DESIGN
