Antaeus Company Presents Double-Cast MACBETH, 7/12-8/26

The Antaeus Company, L.A.'s multiple award-winning classical theater company, takes on William Shakespeare's gripping psychological drama, Macbeth. Jessica Kubzansky directs the fully double-cast production, with Bo Foxworth and Rob Nagle sharing the title role and Tessa Auberjonois and Ann Noble partnering as Lady M. Performances take place July 12 through August 26, with low-priced previews beginning July 5. Talk-backs will follow the performance every Thursday night beginning July 19: stay after the performance to ask questions and discuss the play with various cast members.

Macbeth may be the Bard's most disturbing tragedy: a macabre tale of Scottish legends, witches, hallucinations and power. Shakespeare's bloodiest couple thrash against the rise of their own consciences in a compelling psychological and political thriller that follows Macbeth's transformation from battlefield hero to bloody tyrant, revealing the human soul's darkest depths.

"I've always wanted to direct Macbeth in an intimate space," says Kubzansky. "Because of all the battles, it's usually performed on a grand scale, but I want to investigate the psychology of it: How did these people come to do such evil deeds? What makes good people do bad things? One of the reasons that Shakespeare has survived over the centuries is because there are so many stories within each text-his plays are so deep and so wide."

"Most of the plays we produce at Antaeus begin as projects initiated by members of the company that then go through a process of work sessions and readings," explain co-artistic directors Bill Brochtrup, Rob Nagle and John Sloan. "Often that process is an end unto itself, an opportunity to take a pause from the daily press of a working actor's life to examine a text in depth. We initiated work on Macbeth in January of 2011. In August, we asked Jessica Kubzansky to join us and continue the exploration with a ClassicsFest reading. We found she had a fresh take on the play, one that many of us hadn't seen before, and we wanted to share that with our audience."

Unique among 99-seat theater companies in L.A., Antaeus is known for "partner casting." In all Antaeus productions, two equally talented actors collaborate on every role, working together throughout the rehearsal process and enriching the creative experience. Audiences, who never see an understudy, frequently return to see the same play in the hands of an equally excellent but very different set of actors.

In addition to Foxworth, Nagle, Auberjonois and Noble, the 40-member Macbeth ensemble includes Armin Shimerman and John Sloan partnering as Ross; Ned Schmidtke and Peter Van Norden as King Duncan; Daniel Blinkoff and James Sutorius as Macduff; Steve Hofvendahl and Todd Waring as the Scottish Doctor; Brian Tichnell and Christian Barillas as Malcolm; Ramon De Ocampo and Joe Holt as Banquo; Kimiko Gelman and Kitty Swink as Lady Macduff; Dylan La Rocque and Jack Lancaster as Fleance; Joe Delafield and Jeff Thomas Gardner as Lennox; Alex Knox and Jesse Sharp as Angus; Fran Bennett and Lorna Raver as the first witch; Jane Carr and Susan Boyd Joyce as the second witch; Saundra McClain and Elizabeth Swain as the third witch; Joanna Strapp and Rebekah Tripp as the Gentlewoman and the Nurse; Brian Abraham and Adam Meyer as the first murderer; Daniel Dorr and Sam Breen as the second murderer; Paul Culos and Ian Littleworth as Donalbain; and Gerard Marzilli and Jason Thomas as Menteith.

Set design is by Tom Buderwitz; lighting design is by Jeremy Pivnick; costume design is by Jessica Olson; sound design is by John Zalewski; properties design is by Heather Ho; and the production stage manager is Katherine E. Haan.

Jessica Kubzansky is co-artistic director of The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena and an award-winning director who works frequently at regional theaters around the country. A "Shakespeare freak;" she has directed Hamlet (with Leo Marks in the title role), A Winter's Tale, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, and a mixEd Scottish and American site-specific production of Macbeth for the Edinburgh Fringe. She has also directed many world premieres including Jennifer Haley's Breadcrumbs; Julie Hébert's Tree; Michael Elyanow's The Children; Jordan Harrison's Futura; Laura Schellhardt's Courting Vampires; Salamone/McIntyre's Gulls (a musical adaptation of The Seagull); Mickey Birnbaum's Bleed Rail; Carlos Murillo's Unfinished American Highwayscape #9 & 32; Jean-Claude van Itallie's Light; Cody Henderson's Cold/Tender; Bob Clyman's Tranced; Bryan Davidson's War Music; Sheila Callaghan's Kate Crackernuts; Julia Cho's BFE; Tom Jacobson's The Orange Grove; Salamone/McIntyre's Moscow; and Carol Wolf's The Thousandth Night with Ron Campbell (around the country and internationally). Kubzansky was honored by the Los Angeles' Drama Critics' Circle with the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theater.

Antaeus is a cooperative theater ensemble founded to empower the actor and to bring classical theater to Los Angeles. The company exists to create a family of artists and audiences and is dedicated to exploring stories with enduring themes. Taking their company name from the Titan who gained strength by touching the Earth, Antaeus members-many of whom are familiar to film and television audiences-regain their creative strength by returning to the wellspring of their craft: live theater. Members of the company span a wide range of age, ethnicity and experience; they have performed on Broadway, at major regional theaters across the country, in film, television and on local stages, and are the recipients of numerous accolades including Tony, Los Angeles and New York Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, and Back Stage Garland nominations and awards.

Performances of Macbeth take place July 12 through August 26 on Thursdays and Fridays, @ 8 pm; Saturdays @ 2 pm (except July 14) and 8 pm; and Sundays @ 2 pm Talk-backs follow the performance every Thursday night beginning July 19. There will be six previews, July 5-11: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday @ 8 pm and Sunday @ 2 pm (no preview on Monday, July 9). Tickets to the Opening Night performances on July 12 and 13 are $34, after which all tickets are $30 on Thursdays and Fridays and $34 on Saturdays and Sundays; previews are $15.

The Antaeus Company is located at 5112 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, CA 91601. Free parking is available in the uncovered Citibank lot on Lankershim Blvd. just south of Otsego St. The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call 818-506-1983 or go to www.antaeus.org.