Courtesy of Ryan Chao

Debut director Ché Guerra ’28 and company bring to life the classic play “Macbeth” in all its sordid glory.

A centerpiece of the theatrical canon, “Macbeth” questions the limits of power and the morality of its pursuit. The cautionary tale follows Scottish general Macbeth, who begins a bloody hunt for the crown after three witches prophesy his ascent to the throne. What ensues are supernatural encounters, paranoid outbursts and devolutions into insanity. 

“The show is notorious for themes of fate, destiny and playing with the metaphysical forces that alter your life,” said actor Sophia Schwaner ’26, who plays Lady Macbeth. “It’s ultimately two people who are quite terrified, experiencing passion, lust for power and lust for each other.”

Guerra, according to Ryan Chao ’28, is a Shakespearean “fanatic.” Guerra’s interpretation of the piece spotlights the sophistication of the literature and condenses the play to its most emotionally significant moments. 

In part, abridging the text was a strategy to accommodate for the smaller cast. Large banquets or courtroom scenes were not feasible with an ensemble of only six actors. 

However, a cut script didn’t do much to lessen the work of the actors. The process of embodying a character involved more than rote memorization, said Chao. 

“You have to find a way of presenting [the text] to the audience so they can understand,” said Chao. “But the actors need to understand it first.”

According to the actors, they explored both the emotional significance and the literal meaning of the literature. The cast wanted the audience members to comprehend the action and feel the energy, even if they didn’t literally understand the words. 

Guerra’s production places great emphasis on dialogue. While the actors are bedecked in Elizabethan fashion, the set is modest in its design. 

What stands out, however, is the throne that sits dramatically on stage for the length of the play. Its powerful presence serves as a constant reminder of what is at stake.

“The set pieces are almost like poetic metaphors,” said Schwaner. “Our director has picked the most salient parts of the story and preserved some of the realism of this time period through the costumes.”

Historical accuracy is often a major point of contention regarding interpretations of Shakespearean texts. Critics slandered the most recent adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” for “treating Shakespeare’s text violently.”

While Guerra’s revival might not be “modern” in terms of costumes or set, some might argue that the “genderbending” of several characters imposes 21st-century social attitudes onto the text. How does the story of Macbeth change when he is played by a woman?

Notably, the original pronouns in the text remain the same. When approaching the challenge of playing Macbeth, Rose Hansen ’25 said that she attempted to reflect Macbeth’s masculinity into her acting.  

“There are ways that I try to embody [Macbeth’s] version of masculinity,” said Hansen. “No one’s going to forget that I’m a woman. It’s not about tricking the audience, it’s about the physical cues that I can use to indicate to the audience to read this character as a very powerful, privileged and demanding man.”

The notion of genderbending characters is often seen as a radical change in terms of literary interpretation. However, the Bard was notorious for playing with gender and joking about sex. 

Sixteenth century Shakespeare productions were performed entirely by men, including the female characters — leading scholars of drama to argue that queer interpretations of Shakespeare’s work come closer to embodying the original productions as opposed to “traditional” ones. 

Ultimately, the focus is on the text.

“There is an interesting layer that it brings to the production,” said Hansen. “We’re used to this very strong male figure saying these lines. Hearing those words in my person gives you a little bit to chew on.” 

“Macbeth” will run in the Davenport-Pierson Auditorium April 4 and 5.