MACBETH Comes To The Players' Ring Theatre

“Something wicked this way comes.” Experience a drum-beating, hair-raising, blood-pumping, two-faced production of Shakespeare's “Tragedie of Macbeth.” 

Running at the Players' Ring Theatre April 19 through April 28, the production is a creative collaboration between Glass Dove Productions, Theater in the Open, and Vicious Mole Theatre Collective.

Directed by Andrew Codispoti, “Macbeth” tells the story of loss, possible salvation and destruction.

Devastated by the loss of their child, and beaten down by endless military campaigns, Macbeth (played by Wayne Asbury) and his Lady (played by Emily Karel) seize upon a prophecy that seems to offer them a means of salvation. But their salvation comes at a terrible price, and the consequences of their actions ultimately threaten to destroy their land, their love, and everything they hold dear.

“I have worked primarily with Shakespeare from the beginning of my career, but in the past eight years I have been specializing in a ‘quick-raise' process for creating productions of Shakespeare's plays in very brief amounts of time, typically two to five days from the first moment the actors gather, to the first moment that we share with an audience,” Codispoti said.

“This quick-raise process as we practice is being developed by a handful of theatre companies and solo practitioners around the world,” he continued. 

“The fundamentals are derived from what we know about how Shakespeare's own company (and other acting companies in the Elizabethan and Jacobean era) did their work. To these we have added elements of contemporary theatrical and dance practice, especially those related to the formation and training of ensemble.”

Shakespeare's plays were written with something very like this style of process in mind, and the director finds that the quick-raise brings an immediacy, urgency, and reality to the poetry.

“We are curious whether the audience will be able to discern the difference between our style and a contemporary theatrical style,” he said. “We think of it this way: we are more like a group of musicians gathering semi-spontaneously to jam on a familiar tune than an intensely-rehearsed orchestra working from sheet music.”

Emily Karel, who plays Lady Macbeth, returns to the Players' Ring as a producer and performer after the successful runs of “Mary & Me” and “A Safe Passage”, both penned by Irish playwright Irene Kelleher. She said she was drawn to Shakespeare because he tells human stories. 

“Yes, the poetry is beautiful, but the reason Shakespeare's work has endured to be staged and reimagined for hundreds of years, is because he writes about the human experience in a way that transcends time,” she said. 

“'Macbeth' takes place in a time of transition. Paganism is being supplanted by Christianity. Belief systems and societal structures that had been in place for hundreds of years, are falling. It is an anxious, uncertain, and violent time. In 2024, we are also contending with rapid growth and upheaval.” 

Karel said she and Asbury did quite a lot of work ahead of their first staging of this production last fall, on the history of the Macbeths.

“The most important thing for me when approaching Lady Macbeth, is to give her life as a real person rather than an archetype of ambition,” Karel said. “These are two people who love each other and who are trying to survive. They are grieving parents, and they are trapped in a world of violence that affords them little hope. As they see it, their only chance is to build a fortress of power around themselves.”

Wayne Asbury, who plays Macbeth, performed this role with the same company this past September.

“I'm extremely excited to delve back into this show at the Ring,” Asbury said. 

“As with all of Shakespeare's characters, the portrayal of Macbeth requires a keen study of psychology as well as the political/military systems of the time. Finding the humanity of this couple and discovering the impulse for what they do is essential to the successful telling of this story.”

He added that being able to revisit the show allows the company to continue that study and take it even deeper, which is an incredible opportunity not often offered to an actor.

The cast also includes Trevor Frederick, Corrie Owens-Beauchesne, Bretton Reis, Edward Speck, Tim Jacobs, Jamie Steinbach and Codispoti. Set design is done by Quentin Stockwell; lighting design by Griffinn Gower; and costume design by Zhana Morris.

The Players' Ring is grateful for the support of its Main Sponsors: The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, The Puddle Dock Restaurant, Tour Restaurant, Southport Printing Company, Kennebunk Savings and MacEdge. 

The Ring's neighbor The Puddle Dock restaurant and its sister restaurant Tour on Lafayette Road, are both offering a 10% discount on food to Players' Ring patrons. Visit their websites to reserve, and present your ticket when you ask for your check. 

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