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Shakespeare at Traquair at 30

Shakespeare at Traquair enter their 30th year with the magnificent production of Macbeth.  A tale of love, moral dilemmas and vaulting ambition. The pay follows Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, who receives a prophecy that he will become the King of Scotland.  

Lady Macbeth agrees the crown is within reach but doubts her husband’s willingness to take the necessary steps. 

Will their great love be enough to protect the Macbeths as the violence and manipulation escalates?  Will Macbeth’s determination to dominate his destiny win the day?  Or could the prophecy be understood another way?

Director’s View – Esmé Babineaux

I joined Shakespeare at Traquair at twelve years old. If you’re seeing this through the mailing list or website, you may be someone who has quite literally watched me grow up. To my knowledge I will be the youngest director in S@T’s history,  and it’s a privilege to be trusted with the group’s 30th anniversary production. I truly believe art and local community are a huge part of what keeps us going in a world that is so frequently cruel, and when done well, community theatre is a prime example of both. Shakespeare at Traquair is no exception to that. The level of support and solidarity shown in this group has created a theatrical little family that has, in part, raised me. This ethos is what made me feel empowered enough ask to put on this production and I’m so excited to get started.

On that note, some thoughts on the play! I debated over the setting for this Macbeth for a long time. It naturally lends itself to many eras, stylings and places, so I had a variety of options in mind. I didn’t want to be cliche but to the surprise of nobody who knows me, I settled on a punk vibe. In my opinion, it works both aesthetically (a nod to tartan and kilts without being tied to historically accurate clothing) and in attitude, as the story of Macbeth is easily read as a critique of power structures and the corrupting influence of authority. Hierarchy is a crucial part of Macbeth, and is therefore interesting to examine through a more anarchist lens. It will be non-era specific, and the casting will be relatively genderblind, so if you are interested in a role then go for it, you have a chance!

Macbeth doesn’t have a huge amount of parts and I will not double cast roles, so not everyone will get a speaking part. However, I want a lot of big set pieces in this production and I need as many people I can get my hands on to make that happen, so even if you don’t have lines you will have a lot to do. You will most likely end up in the play more than most individual characters, so if you love performing, but don’t love learning lines or struggle with the language, please still show up. There’s a place for everyone.