HFC Presents: A Macbeth

Event Date
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Production Information

Written by: Charles Marowitz
Directed by: Dr. George Popovich

This production of A Macbeth is based in part on the ideas of theatrical innovator Antonin Artaud was born in 1896 in Marseilles. As a child he developed meningitis. He survived this always nearly fatal disease, but its effects were last the rest of his life. The disease resulted in a mental disability that prevented Artaud from thinking in a rational manner. He conceived in "thought clusters" an almost poetic and imagistic perception of reality. His mental state directly influenced his revolutionary ideas for the theatre.

Artaud became increasingly dissatisfied with traditional theatre and began a series of explorations that led him to formulate a new theory of theatrical production sometimes referred to as the Theatre of Cruelty. Artaud initially was drawn to Surrealist movement with its emphasis on the subconcious and dreams, but broke with the group because of its association with the Communist party.

Artaud watched the Balinese dance theatre and was increasingly drawn to the idea of the actor as "animated heirloglyph" A heirloglyph relates to spiritual or emotional states having roots in humankind's deepest cultural associations---the human "collective unsconcoius" of which Jung spoke. Artaud believed that theatre should not merely entertain, but should:

  1. Break through the veneer of contemporary culture by a rigourous assault on the senses of the audience.
  2. Reject the literary text as a primary method of theatrical expression
  3. Return to a theatre of myth and ritual.
  4. Emphasize dreams, fantasy, and archetype.
  5. create an all-embracing sensual impact and spectacle.
  6. Achieve a therapeutic purgation in the spectator.

According to Artuad, the more important aspects of existence are those submerged in the unconscious, those things that cause divisions within people and lead to hatred, violence, and disaster. He believed that if given the proper theatrical experiences, people can be freed from ferocity and express the joy that civilization has forced them to repress, for the theatre can evacuate those feelings that are usually expressed in more destructive ways.

Artaud's suggestion to operate directly on the nervous led him to suggest many innovations in theatrical practice. Among these was replacement of the traditional theatre building with remodeled barns, factories, or airplane hangars. He wished to place the audience in the center of the action by locating acting areas in corners, on overhead catwalks and along the walls. In lighting, he called for a "vibrating, shredded" effect, and in sound he favored shrillness, abrupt changes in volume, and the use of human voice to create harmonies and dissonances.

Macbeth is Shakespeare's darkest play and A Macbeth remains true to the original in tone. What is the absence of totally linear story development, although the story of Shakespeare's MACBETH is communicated in a surreal, collage fashion to the audience. What emergences is the experience and feeling of evil rather than a cause-effect theatrical experience. In Marowitz' version, the entire story of MACBETH is presented in "collage" form in about 15 minutes. The author then selects certain occurrences in the plot for additional development as the story is repeated again. To frame the "collage" MACBETH, Marowitz presents it as a mutual hallucination experienced by both Macbeth and Banquo. As we move into the body of the play, Marowitz extends and develops the images and situations presented in the "collage" segment. A MACBETH presents a world of evil and confusion. It is suffused with elements of the supernatural, steeped in myth, ritual, the subconcious mind, and archetype. We have suggested some of these ideas in the staging and music.

Marowitz has included some of these ideas in his script: the characters of Macbeths Two and Three represent different aspects of Macbeth's psyche. You will note the absence of graphic violence . Artaud's "Theatre of Cruelty" did not necessairly involve graphic, but what Artaud referred to as "metaphysical" violence. Metaphysical violence is a violence is a violence that goes beyond horror into terror, a violence that forces each audience member to confront the violence individually through the filters of their own memories and experience. The "murders" of Banquo and Lady MacDuff and her child as staged in this production are examples of our interpretations of Artaud's "metaphysical" violence. Marowitz had remained faithful to Shakespeare's language; he has not altered the structure of Shakespeare's lines, but merely shifted lines from character to character.

Cast

  • Macbeth: Steve Memran
  • Macduff: Peter Fletcher
  • Duncan: Phillip Matora
  • Banquo: Jason Winslade
  • Malcolm: Paul Bartley
  • Fleance: Brent Brozek
  • Witch 1: Tracy Spada
  • Witch 2: Rachel Soszynski
  • Witch 3: Lori Przyblo
  • Child Macduff: Lucia Mazzola
  • Messenger: Brent Brozek
  • Lady Macduff: Rachel Soszynski
  • Preist: Jason Winslade
  • Second Macbeth: Kevin Walsh
  • Third Macbeth: MD Petee
  • Warriors: EJ Holowicki, Tom Underwood, Jason Winslade
  • Witches: EJ Holowicki, Heather Raye, Sandee Rager, Roseann Gruley, Tom Underwood