The Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s Winter Shakespeare production is Macbeth, one of the Bard’s darkest and most famous tragedies.
In this production, set in an unforgiving, post-apocalyptic world, the warrior Macbeth, spurred on by a supernatural prophecy and his power-hungry wife, is driven to murder and ultimate madness in his unrelenting quest to gain and keep the throne. This action-packed production runs Jan. 9–26 at Belmont’s Troutt Theater in Nashville, Jan. 30–Feb. 2 at Franklin’s Academy Park Performing Arts Center and then Feb. 6–8 at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre in Murfreesboro. Nashville Shakespeare Festival will take the full production to Tullahoma for student matinees and one public performance on Feb. 14 and finish the tour in Clarksville for student matinees and one public performance on Feb. 21. This tour will allow thousands of middle and high school students to experience Shakespeare in a visceral, memorable way.
David Wilkerson, a long-time NSF collaborator and local actor, director and choreographer who teaches in the MTSU Theatre Department, edited the text and directs the play.
“This Macbeth is an exploration of those moments that tempt us to deny the humanity in others, thus throwing away a piece of our own,” says Wilkerson. “In this defiled world, our choices can ease the corruption and the power of the creatures that feed on it, or our actions can add to it.”
Playing the title role is Sam Ashdown, returning to the Nashville Shakes stage after his critically acclaimed performances of Hamlet in Hamlet and Mark Antony in Julius Caesar. Playing the merciless Lady Macbeth is Nashville native Mariah Parris. Jordan Gleaves returns to NSF to play Banquo, and NSF veteran Brian Russell will play Duncan. Other past NSF actors in the cast are Delaney Keith, Joy Greenawalt-Lay, Kit Bulla, Andrew Johnson and Natalie Rankin. Joining the company for the first time are Elyse Dawson, DeYonte Jenkins, Jonathan Contreras, Lucy Buchanan and 11-year-old Micah Williams.
Creating the eerie, ruinous, physical world of Macbeth is set designer Jim Manning, lighting designer Anne Willingham, costume designer Jocelyn Melechinsky, props designer Amanda Creech and composer Evan Wilkerson. The many battle scenes and murders in the play will be co-choreographed by fight director Carrie Brewer and director David Wilkerson.
Murfreesboro performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, Feb. 6–8, at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre (615 Champion Way). Find tickets and more information at nashvilleshakes.org.
