By: Amy Modesti
Shae Fitzgerald, Company Manager of Will Kempe’s Players, said that this was the first time that the
company performed Macbeth. She said that the opening weekend went well and that they had good
audiences who seemed to be “very engaged in the story.”
“It’s a big undertaking (swords, fights, witches, etc.) so this adaptation made it easier to consider doing,
with fewer characters overall and a much more intimate, personal take on the story.” Fitzgerald said.
About Macbeth
Macbeth, according to WKP’s Artistic Director Sandy Boynton, is a quasi-historical play derived from
Holinshed’s Chronicles. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the Scottish thane, Macbeth (Michael
Sinkora), is pricked on by a prophecy from the three witches and strongly supported by his wife, Lady
Macbeth (R. Moore), murders King Duncan (Dan Smirlock) and seizes the throne of Scotland. He also
murders his close friend, Banquo (Andrew Vroman) to protect his throne, thus becoming more blood-
thirsty as time goes on.
At a dinner gathering, Macbeth becomes spooked upon seeing Banquo’s ghost, becoming overwhelmed
with guilt and regret for the murder of his friend. King Duncan’s son Malcolm (Wells Bryce Liscomb), the
Thane of Fife, known as Macduff, and most of the other thanes form an effective resistance. Macduff
(Jack D. Ellis) and Macbeth ultimately engage in a winner-take-all, sword wielding duel to the death, to
assume the possession of both the crown and kingdom, resulting in Macbeth’s death.
Boynton, who directed the local production, was fascinated with the amount of unresolved conflict in
the characters and their given situations.
“Macbeth’s mind practically vibrates between guilt, ambition, and revenge. Lady Macbeth, who seems
able to live with murder, devolves into madness and self-harm and even the “heroic” Macduff is
wracked with guilt over deserting his family and taking refuge in England.” Boynton explains. “The more
the actors leaned into the conflicts without attempting to resolve them, the more interesting and
vibrant the play became.”
Macbeth Reflections
I first read Macbeth in a high school English class and watching the cast put on this production in
present-day was impressive. The production, adapted by Dan Smirlock, was easy to follow along to from
start to end.
Not only were the overall cast performances impressive, but it was also their approach to performing
the play in its “Original Practices”, a method which aimed to replicate how Shakespeare and his fellow
thespians might have developed and first performed Macbeth in 1606, that was also cool and pure in its
originality.
Unlike most modern-day plays which include the use of technology, sound effects, and elaborate set
designs inside a theatre, Will Kempe’s Players purposefully use the “Original Practices” in their
production. For example, all their sound effects, created by Krysta Dennis and Devin Trager, were
created live using a bell, stringed instruments (violin, acoustic guitar), sheet metal to play the sound of
thunder, and Foley art.
With WKP bringing Macbeth on tour, the company relies on using simple pipe-and-drape, several tables,
stools, and additional easy to transport pieces that are thoughtfully built to create their set
environment. Also, the crew uses traditional Shakespearian costumes that function efficiently in various
performing environments and are used to tell the story about the characters and the world of the play.
Another neat thing to note; Will Kempe’s Players involves their audiences in their performance and
invites them into the play’s world. In a lighter moment of Macbeth, the audience sees Seyton (Barby
Cardillo), drunkenly walking around the mound with a chalice in her hand, conversing with patrons who
wish to hear her conversation.
Macbeth, Adapted by Dan Smirlock
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