Bloody. Violent. Drenched in Pink.
In this re-imagined production of one of Shakespeare’s most spellbinding plays, women and non-binary actors are at the center. While Macbeth grapples with many themes and issues, from the supernatural, to violence, to power, to guilt, all at full-force and intensity, the question of gender is typically brushed aside in productions. The play, though, is deeply interested in the way in which the traditional gender binary is established and maintained; the characters must be either a man or a woman. Agency lays unequivocally with the masculine, with kings like Duncan and eventually Macbeth, while women like Lady Macbeth must exercise her power through the men or shed her femininity and aim towards masculinity in order to succeed. Characters that seem to fall outside of this binary, the witches who are described as bearded women by Banquo, are othered and isolated in the label of ‘Weird Sister’. How, then, can a production of this master work grapple with the questions of gender identity in a modern understanding of the spectrum? Helmed by director and Lecturer in Theater Elena Araoz and an entirely female-presenting and non-binary cast, this production explores the manifestations of gender and power that are already present and all-encompassing in the original text. Featuring seniors Tessa Albertson ’20 and Abby Spare ’20, with set design by Milan Eldridge ’20.
TICKETS
Tickets are $10 students, $12 seniors, $12 general admission in advance; $17 general admission day of the event. Tickets are available in advance at McCarter Ticket Office in person or online. Online orders and phone orders through the McCarter Ticket Office for single tickets are subject to a handling charge of $6 per order plus $3 per ticket.
