Director Marian Storvik makes her Bravo Boro debut Friday, Nov. 14, at the Mills-Pate Arts Center with a haunting yet faithful adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Rather than modernizing or simplifying the play, Storvik embraces Shakespeare’s intricate Elizabethan language and trusts her audience to engage with it fully.

While many contemporary productions of Shakespeare are reimagined for modern audiences, Storvik takes the opposite approach. Her Macbeth honors the polish, rhythm and gravity of the original text, inviting viewers to settle in and experience the story’s full weight.

“We’re doing Shakespeare. Straight up,” Storvik says. “It’s tempting to modernize the dialogue or tighten the pace, especially when we’re all used to short-form entertainment on TikTok or Instagram. But we wanted something real, honest and respectful. We wanted to give people a chance to step away, lose themselves in Shakespeare’s most tragic play, and feel it.”

The cast of Macbeth, (front to back, left to right): Jannesa Kaylor, Jordan Chambers, Clare Bowman, Lizzi Riordan, Caton Taylor, Haeli Lemmon, Beth Priest, Rachael Parker, Andrew Braach, Karly Haddock, Tyler Tsoumbos, Peregrine Jones, Britt Penevolpe, Gray Miller, Jeffrey LaPorte, Marian Storvik, Marion Burnette, Chris Braach and Dillon Davis

At a time when community theaters face shrinking audiences and tight budgets, this director’s confidence stands out. The strong audition turnout and growing anticipation around this production suggest that audiences and actors still want to be challenged and moved by stories that take time to unfold.

Produced by Tyler Tsoumbos, Bravo Boro’s Macbeth runs Nov. 14–16 and 21–23 at Murfreesboro’s Mills-Pate Arts Center (7120 Old Nashville Hwy.). Find showtimes and ticket information for this powerful production that honors one of Shakespeare’s most enduring works at bravoboro.theater.