By Aida Toro—
The Actors Shakespeare Company has done it again with an excellent addition to their plays. In March, they will be hosting a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as their show of the season. This play isn’t acted out by just any cast, but by faculty members as well.
The lead role, of Macbeth, is played by former actor and NJCU English Professor Michael Basile, along with Lady Macbeth being played by Denise Hurd, who is a resident artist of the Actor Shakespeare Company.
For those unfamiliar with Macbeth, it is the shortest tragedy written by William Shakespeare. The play is about the killing of a king and the events that occur afterwards. Macbeth consists of 24 characters. However, this play doesn’t, which is what makes it different.
“One thing particular about this production is that all of the roles will be acted by just 7 actors ,” said Colette Rice, ASC Producing Artistic Director.
In this production of Macbeth, the performers are witnesses to the unfolding tragedy. Since there are only seven performers, certain male roles will be played by the two women that are in the play, along with four men playing some of the female roles. The reason why there are only four men playing multiple roles is due to the fact that Macbeth’s part contains a lot of lines. Therefore, Basile is the only one performing that role.
Aside from this version of the play being produced with only 7 performers, the ASC is focusing it on language.
Rice said, “The plot is very simple, the plot is very easy to follow. But when you follow the text, the language is very ambiguous. Instead of Macbeth saying, “I have killed Duncan,” he says “I have done the deed.”
Language can be something very complicated, especially for an audience to grasp and understand right away. Therefore, the ASC has arranged a special discussion 30 minutes before the curtain.
“We have an informal discussion about the play and the production. I like to think of it as a primer and a jump start so people can be aware on what they are going to see,” said Rice.
The featuring of Macbeth is going to be exciting for the NJCU Cammpus community. By having some faculty members and other actors from the ASC, the show is going to be a grand hit.
“NJCU representation is very high in this play,” said Rice.
