This page was for the Spring 1998 Ensemble production of Macbeth. For our Fall 2005 production, look HERE.
Tradition. Superstition. Reflection. It had been sixteen years since I read "The Scottish Play." 1982. Rehearsing at the New York Shakespeare Festival for a production with Shakespeare & Company. Then, I was performing in the play and helping to choreograph the fight scenes, and now, hundreds of plays later, I am staring this classic in the face as the director. Macbeth took its toll on our cast in 1982 and wreaked its theatrical vengeance causing injuries and odd occurrences - or so we thought. A spectator's dog attacked one of the actors and I myself was hurt badly by an errant broadsword, ah the Scottish Play's mystic.
Why this play? Reading it again I found the text to be quite simple. It's straight forward, with one primary plot and no cumbersome side plot to decipher. So why is it feared and why the turmoil? In its simplicity I believe lies the answer. Childlike rhymes and incantations conjure up images and energy from our psyche that surprise and shake us on a deep deep level. How and why does this occur?
In this production our witches are not evil but what we make of them. I see them as taking the shapes they need to tell the story of the play. They represent both good and bad and will respond to their "clients" with what the seeker desires. Beware what your heart aches for because to achieve it may be deadly. Here lies one of the keys to the mystique of the play.
Universal spirit must be approached cautiously. I don't understand the why's of the unknown and here in this space let me end by saying - I am trying to be careful and respectful of this play and its legend. Entering the world of Macbeth again has been a terrific journey with this team of creative artists and I am grateful for the opportunity to explore this play here at MIT.
-- Tony Simotes
The real Duncan was a young and rebellious king whose 6 year reign was marked by several attempts to overthrow his cousins and enlarge his Kingdom of Scotland. According to Pictish rules of succession, Macbeth, the Mormaer of Moray, and his wife Gruoch actually had greater claim to the throne. After a failed attempt to overthrow the Earl of Caithress Sutherland, Duncan marched into Moray where Macbeth killed him. Macbeth ruled for about 16 years. He was a good king who gave generously to the shrine of St. Andrew, was blessed by the Pope and was loved by his people. In 1057, Duncan's son, Malcom III, invaded Scotland with Siward, the Earl of Northumberland. Siward defeated Macbeth in battle and Malcom killed him 3 years later.
In 1527, Hector Boece wrote the Scotorum Historia which told a history of Scotland that relied heavily on folklore, hearsay and lies. Boece created Banquo and Fleance, the prophecy of the line of kings, the aging Duncan, the valor of Macduff, the evil Lady Macbeth, and the supernatural influence. In 1577, Raphael Holinshed wrote Cronicles adding more fiction to Boece's history. Both the Scotorum Historia and Cronicles were very popular during Shakespeare's time.
Shakespeare, adapted these histories of Scotland into a play focussing on the interests of King James I, the first Scottish King to rule England. Macbeth shows the evils of regicide, the good that can come from the united forces of Scotland and England, the great and mighty ancestors of James , and the supernatural at work in the world. James enjoyed the play so much that for the next few years many of the plays written by Shakespeare's contemporaries contained witches.