Trinity Rep Announces Shakespearean Classic MACBETH

Trinity Rep will continue its 2018-19 Season with the electrifying tale of Macbeth a Shakespearean thriller that bursts at breakneck speed with more suspense, murder, and madness than a blockbuster film. Directed by Curt Columbus, who was most recently at the helm of last spring's Ragtime, this contemporary telling of the famously-cursed play will include a live DJ and elements of magic. Featuring resident acting company member Mauro Hantman as the future King of Scotland, Macbeth runs January 31 March 3 with press opening on Monday, February 4 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $25. More information can be found at www.trinityrep.com/macbeth.

Tempted by the eerie visions of three mysterious witches and pushed by his ruthless wife, Macbeth is determined to grab what he wants the throne of Scotland. Unchecked greed and ambition fuel his bloody rise to power, but his ego ultimately brings about his brutal end, while Lady Macbeth's guilt and paranoia lead to one of theater's most riveting descents into madness.

The Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director, and director of Macbeth, Curt Columbus, said: I've been thinking a lot about why we continue to produce William Shakespeare in the 21st century, how it can have meaning for our audiences, what 400-year-old texts can have to say in the digital content age. Our production of Macbeth only happened because I feel that there is an urgent need to tell this story, today. I believe we need stories about the cost of blind ambition in our culture right now and about the triumph of honor over that ambition. Macbeth is a vivid telling of that very tale, with some of the most beautiful, clear language available in any Shakespeare play, as well as a thrilling opportunity for a sexy, haunting staging. It was the first Shakespeare I encountered at the age of twelve, and it has remained a story that speaks to me over forty years later. I can't wait to share it with Trinity Rep's audience.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Director Curt Columbus has been Trinity Rep's artistic director since 2006. His Trinity Rep directing credits include last season's transformative musical Ragtime. In addition to directing more than a dozen other productions at Trinity Rep, he is also an accomplished playwright, translator, and adaptor. He directed his translation of Uncle Vanya at the Gamm Theater in 2018.

Columbus will be working alongside Michael McGarty (set design), Andrew Jean (costume design), Oona Curley (lighting design), and Peter Sasha Hurowitz (sound design) with Nate Dendy (Magic Design) and Viraj Ghandi (DJ).

The cast of this production features resident company members Mauro Hantman as the ill-fated Macbeth, Stephen Thorne as Banquo, Timothy Crowe as Duncan, Fred Sullivan, Jr., as Ross, Rachael Warren as Lennox, and Stephen Berenson, Janice Duclos, and Phyllis Kay as The Witches. Brown/Trinity Rep MFA students Aman Soni '19 will play Malcolm and Viraj Ghandi '19 will play Donalbain with alumna Julia Atwood '17 as Lady Macbeth and guest artist and Trinity Rep conservatory graduate Alex Platt '02 as MacDuff.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS FOR MACBETH

Continuing Trinity Rep's tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will have discounted previews of Macbeth. Thursday, January 31 is a Pay What You Can performance. Pay What You Can tickets go on sale at 6:30 pm that evening, and are limited to one per person.

Other special performances for Macbeth include an Open Captioned performance for the show on Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 pm and Wednesday, February 13 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm. The Next Generation Night will be held on Thursday, February 7 and includes a pre-show reception for the next generation of theater-goers. The Teens Talk performance will be held on Friday, February 8, which features Trinity Rep's Teen Ambassadors discussing their perspective on the show following the 7:30 performance.

A Context & Conversation panel discussion will be held on Friday, February 11 at 6:00 pm at Butler Hospital's Ray Conference Center in Providence. At this free event, panelists from the community will discuss a topic surrounding the show. Christina Bevilacqua, Trinity Rep's conversationalist-in-residence will moderate the discussion.

This production of Macbeth is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. Trinity Rep is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle and high-school students in communities across the United States. Executive Director Tom Parrish said, The Shakespeare production is often an important centerpiece of our educational offerings, and this year is no exception. Through Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's signature education program, over 3,000 students will experience this production, along with comprehensive standards-based study guides, classroom residencies, workshops, and post-performance discussions with the actors and artistic team. Since its inception in 1966, Project Discovery has introduced over 1.4 million young people to the power of live theater.

The production is supported by Shakespeare in American Communities: National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The media sponsor is The Providence Journal. The 2018-19 Season Sponsors are Ocean State Job Lot and Rhode Island Council on the Arts. Southwest is the official airline of Trinity Rep.

Trinity Repertory Company

Rhode Island's Tony Award-winning theater, Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Trinity Rep strives to facilitate human connection and has been a driving force behind the creativity that fuels and defines the region for more than 50 years.

Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally-stimulating live productions that range from classical to contemporary and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has brought families together for 41 years and made memories for over a million audience members.

The 2018-19 Season includes Pride & Prejudice by Kate Hamill, black odyssey by Marcus Gardley, a special limited-engagement of An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, The Song of Summer by Lauren Yee, Little Shop of Horrors with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, and Jos Rivera's Marisol.

For more information on our 2018-19 Season, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.TrinityRep.com.