On Staging Macbeth…

I had wanted to stage Macbeth for a very long time but it was only earlier this year that I finally developed my vision for the piece. And it had to be a vision that very young actors – aged 10-13 – could in fact deliver. A big ask! The national Shakespeare in Schools Festival was the ideal platform for our production of Macbeth with the opportunity to work and perform in a local theatre.

It was important firstly to understand the kind of world in which these characters were living. Medieval Scotland was a land of shocking barbarity and tremendous turbulence, where kings were violently overthrown every six or seven years. However, Macbeth himself is a surprisingly modern man; he has immense arrogance, vanity, daring and a huge ego. It is easy to recognise that lust for power in our contemporary leaders, who have become despots and tyrants. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are a golden couple, who have everything, and yet they risk everything for further power and advancement. There were just too many parallels with modern day living not to stage the play in a contemporary setting – too many young people today crave instant fame, power and bonkers amounts of money.

Rehearsals started at the beginning of the Autumn term and with only 4 weeks before our first performance on the stage at Norden Farm we had plenty of work to do. We met after school once a week and spent many lunchtimes developing the ensemble and understanding the play. Various relationships between characters were explored through improvisation, story-telling and even the toy, Playmobil. It was exciting and exhausting. Every single company member was totally committed to the production and even willing to give up an entire weekend for rehearsals.

We attended a workshop, alongside other actors from Langley Grammar School, run by practitioners from the National Youth Theatre. Ed, one of the leaders, told the Dolphin Company how impressed he was with their performances and how imaginative the piece was. Students from Langley Grammar School commented on our young actors’ passion, confidence and superb ensemble work. As we drove away from Norden Farm Dolphin actors’ confidence had grown tremendously.

Meanwhile the Marketing team was working tirelessly behind the scenes to promote the show. They designed the perfect logo for the posters and leaflets, a promotional DVD advertising the show was made, numerous photos were taken of every stage of the process, badges were designed and ordered, early morning starts were arranged to leaflet the Dolphin community, there was a sneak peek of 5 minutes of the show in the school hall and an interview on Radio Berkshire took place the day before the performance. Their marketing strategies proved to be highly effective as the theatre sold out within days!

The technical and dress rehearsals took place on the same day as the performance and the Company very quickly realised that they had to remain focused throughout many hours. They also knew that the director of the venue would be making her decision on the order of the shows in the evening based on the dress rehearsal. Tense moments! The Dolphin Company approached the day and evening with total professionalism and we finally learnt just before curtain up that we would be going on last. We could not help but smile and feel proud.

The performance at Norden Farm was electric. Audience members were moved and astounded at our young actors’ ability to present such intense and mature emotions. It was a very special night.

The following week we were on tour travelling to Bedales Junior School and Brookfields Special School. We were warmly received in both schools and especially enjoyed taking part in a workshop with the students from Brookfields. Finally we ended our tour at Dolphin, performing in front of our own community and in a space we love with the perfect wooden floor for our sticks. Staging this Macbeth has been hugely enjoyable and inspiring. The drama department at Dolphin now feels ready to take on any challenge, even organising a tour to the Edinburgh Festival…

Judy Seall

October 2011