The Macbeths

"King Duncan's gang rule. 

Returning from a fight against the King's enemies, best mates Macbeth and Banquo encounter three mysterious witches who offer them both a series of prophecies, including telling Macbeth that one day... he will be King.

Fuelled by his own ambition and encouraged by his wife, Macbeth embarks upon a dark and murderous path..."

~ Official Description for 'The Macbeths'

The Macbeths  was a modern adaptation of the Shakespeare text ‘Macbeth’. I personally became attached to work on the project in October 2019, when I auditioned for and successfully got the part of King Duncan. Following this, I was approached by the head of drama, Steve Mount, who offered me the opportunity to work on the show as Assistant Director.

The five months that I spent working on The Macbeths  served as great experience for me. I directed several of the key scenes myself, including the murder of Banquo and the eventual death of Macbeth himself. This was a big responsibility for me to undertake, and required me to communicate effectively with both my fellow cast members and the director on the staging, motion, and performances of each scene. 

I also assisted with the project on a technical level. I held several long conversations with the director regarding what his vision for the production was, and then, being a senior member of the school’s Theatre Production group, I served as a consultant for the tech crew running the show. This also allowed me to input and discuss my own ideas, such as going for a black-and-white visual design for all related marketing material, as well as the use of cinematic music within the show to lend the production a sleek and dramatic feel.

One of the major things I did for the production was the creation of the teaser trailer. Since the trailer was created parallel to the show and went through its own creative process, it has its own entry in this portfolio here.

Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the school pulled the plug on The Macbeths  at the start of production week. Our contingency plan, which was to record the show and upload it online for the school to see, was also prevented from taking place, and this is why there is no available recording of the production.

Regardless, The Macbeths  was still an excellent production to be a part of, and I had a lot of fun working on it. It taught me several lessons about how to effectively communicate with actors, and also taught me important lessons regarding the creative process that one must go through when directing.