Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble Will Release MACBETH IN THE DARK

This September, the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble will release Macbeth in the Dark. A radio play version of Shakespeare's great psychological tragedy Macbeth, a perfect play for an infected world.

This ambitious project features a cast of 10 actors playing over 25 different characters. Macbeth in the Dark will bring together actors, original music, and the sound engineering wizardry of Dominic Guilfoyle under the direction of one of Queensland's most loved actors and voice artists, Kate Wilson.

Macbeth in the Dark will be available via the ensemble's website (www.qldshakespeare.org) from September 4th. With the title playing on both the technical term for a theatre that isn't open and the play's dark themes, audiences will be encouraged to listen to the play by candlelight, in low lighting, or (if they are really game!) in the dark.

QSE is well-known for its popular Shakespeare productions performed annually at Roma Street Parkland. However, like many artists worldwide, they found themselves needing to reimagine their 2020 season quickly.

'Much as in Shakespeare's day, the plague happened. When the plague hit London, Shakespeare's company did not sit idle (nor did Shakespeare write King Lear, that's a myth, so don't feel bad that you didn't write a great work of literature in the last two months). Instead, they adapted one of their plays and took it on the road with a smaller cast. Going on the road has not been an option in the current state, so we thought we'd adapt a play and take it to the airwaves instead, and in the process re-awaken a lost art form, the radio play' says Artistic Director Rob Pensalfini.

Although QSE is currently presenting physically distanced work, they are getting creative to maintain connections within the community. Core Ensemble members are working with Community Partners (Arafmi, Communify, Group 61, Red Cross Australia) to create online events for community members who have previously connected with the company through programs such as A Night At The Theatre. And the radio play format has opened up exciting opportunities for taking QSE's performance work into prisons, extending relationships already established through the ensemble's renowned Shakespeare Prison Project.

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