The Company and the Text: Macbeth

A joint thesis class/project

by William Shakespeare

Poster of The company and the text: Macbeth

A note from Erika Anclade, THST senior and Lady Macbeth: 

Legend has it that Lady Macbeth was actually Shakespeare’s original intended lead for his play, The Tragedy of Macbeth. Given the difficulty of having a young boy as Lady lead such a show, however, the idea was dropped, and the coveted title position was given back to her husband. That being said, her agency and command were not stripped from her; they remain intact and excruciatingly present throughout the play. She is beautiful and strong, feminine and ferocious. She defies the misogynistic ideal of what it means to be a woman, both in her day and age and today. She is not a lady in waiting, standing one step behind her husband. She is a warrior for the play’s subtextual cause of making women the arbiters of change and influence. 

Thus, “The Company and the Text: Macbeth,” directed by Theater Studies professor Deborah Margolin, was born. We want to shift the focus from the murders and the witches and her husband’s hysteria to her journey in the show: her growth and arc, her historic play to take power into the hands of a woman of intelligence and ambition. We want to explore the nuances of Lady Macbeth as a cultural image of female empowerment. 

Questions we will ask include: What does it mean to be a resilient, feminine force in a world of male bias? What is the true cultural, psychological, and historical significance behind her choosing the specific phrase “Unsex me here,” beyond the superficial annotations we see in “No Fear Shakespeare”? What does it mean to be the driving force behind the acceleration of you and your partner’s goals? What does it mean to be so independent yet so passionately intertwined with said partner? What does it mean for me, as the actor, to embody a woman who has so much agency and drive, even for present standards, that it consumes her? 
Classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 PM to 5:20 PM. All are welcome! Please come join us on this collaborative and revolutionary journey rejoicing of what it means to be gloriously woman!

For all inquiries, please contact: 

Performance Dates & Times

December 2, 2017 - 8:00pm

December 3, 2017 - 2:00pm

December 7, 2017 - 8:00pm

December 8, 2017 - 8:00pm

December 9, 2017 - 8:00pm

Location

Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Black Box

Venue Accessibility: 
Building is accessible via a ramp on the Church Street side. Venue and facilities are located on the main floor.

Patron Information

Patrons should arrive at the theater 15 minutes before the performance to claim their reservation. At the scheduled performance time, patrons will be let in off of the waitlist based on when they signed up on the YDC website. Patrons with reservations arriving after this time will be treated as if they are at the top of the waitlist.

Performers

Lady Macbeth
Macbeth
Macduff, Witch 2
Duncan, Young Macduff, Young Siward
Malcolm
Lady Macduff
Witch 1, Doctor, Porter
Witch 3, Siward, Captain, Porter
Fleance, Hecate, Donalbain, Gentlewoman

Production Team

Producer
Producer
Producer
Stage Manager
Set Designer
Lighting Designer
Technical Director
Sound Designer
Sound Engineer
Props Designer
Dramaturg
Head Electrician
Assistant
Director
Assistant
Stage Manager
Fight Choreographer
Assistant
Fight Choreographer
Sets Team
General Production Team