“Be there, or be stabbed,” was the motto of the Berkeley High School Drama Department’s production of “Macbeth.” During its five official shows, cast and crew put on an incredibly intricate and captivating rendition of Shakespeare’s classic work; “Macbeth.” The performance took place in the Hall of Fame, a small and candle-lit area between the Big Theater’s entrance and the stage. Friends, family, and audience members alike sat on folding chairs, or pillows on the ground, surrounding the small stage on all but one side.
Before the show started, ensemble members dressed in full costume walked around the stage, interacting with audience members as they entered, setting the atmosphere and tone for the rest of the show. After the audience was packed as tight as it could be, the show began.
“Macbeth,” a show which follows a man by the same name, tells a story of sanity, murder, and complex power dynamics. “Characters end up kind of going mad with guilt and grief over what they do,” BHS senior and actor Sophia Novick-Prucher said. “It’s a story about the cycle of nature and how power can corrupt.”
Set in 11th century Scotland, traditionally, performers are dressed in period clothing and speak in the convoluted early English. While BHS’s performers mostly followed that standard, they also added their own modern twist creating a unique interpretation of the play.
The show opened with a battle; perfectly choreographed stage fighting, jeers, and war cries prominent from all ends of the stage. After Scotland, led by Macbeth, beat Norway, the actors exited and the ominous first words of the show, “Welcome, Mortals” were spoken by the entering witches. The witches were dressed in primarily red, black, and white flowy dresses, complete with horns and Dr. Marten’s combat boots. The witches proved to be a highlight of the show, as they could be equally creepy and comical at any moment. They acted as narrators, almost never leaving the stage and watching scenes from the throne and chairs constructed at the back of the set. About midway through the show, the witches spoke a scene in modern English, which was a surprising but welcome change from the previous hour of early English, which at times was difficult to understand. Another highlight of the show was the performance by seniors Novick-Prucher and Maelle Griffin, who played Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Both of them did a wonderful job portraying two very complex characters, each with their fair share of intense scenes and hefty amounts of dialogue to memorize. The hard work that they put into fully learning, understanding, and enunciating every line was evident.
“Our director called in a guest artist to help to work with certain groups on translating lines. The enunciation, the way you speak, is really useful in getting people to understand,” BHS sophomore and Assistant Director Flora Jackel said.
A specific high point of their performance was the scene after Macbeth murders the King of Scotland, Duncan. They both did an excellent job depicting the severity of these two characters’ actions, while connecting with the audience and bringing some humanity to the roles.
“I love the morally ambiguous,” Novick-Prucher said, “I have a lot of love for Lady Macbeth, I think she’s someone that at least deserves to be looked at as perhaps a cautionary tale, but I think with a little bit of understanding.”
The musical score of the production was also incredible. Every piece of music used during the show was written by BHS students. Whether it be the background of the scene, or the original song “Never Motherless,” sung by BHS sophomore Charlotte Donaldson — it was incredibly immersive for the audience to experience such an original and student-led production. Another example of this is the original dance that BHS sophomore Kirby Duncan choreographed, which was performed about mid-way through the show and was titled “Banquet Dance.” The jolly and fun Scottish dance served as a break from the preceding morbid scenes of the play.
“We all got to do that together,” BHS sophomore Stage Manager Kaelo Hickman said, “It’s one of my favorite moments. After a lot of the shows, most of the cast would go outside, and we would all do the banquet dance together.”
While every single actor was incredible, it is also important to credit the show’s success to the hardworking production staff. The show has been in production since April of this year, when auditions began. Actors were then asked to practice, learn, and memorize their lines over the summer. The roles of assistant director, stage manager, and other jobs were assigned by Director Caitlyn Louchard. The production staff seemed to be the backbone of the show, helping the actors through every step of the process.
BHS sophomore Maddy Owens, the director of publicity, made posters and filmed bulletins- publicizing the show as well as helping to sell tickets. Jackel attended every single rehearsal, helped the actors memorize their lines, and even helped run rehearsals at times. All three stage managers, Kaelo Hickman, Sadie Fitzhugh, and Inyo Harmon, were incredibly involved in the process and were active with the cast members on and off-stage.
All in all, the mix of equally talented cast and crew resulted in an incredible, unique, and simply fun production of “Macbeth.” “I think that it was an incredibly impressive production, especially considering that it was a high school production,” Nico Otto, a BHS sophomore and audience member, said.
Each actor enunciated every word, was always in character, and was ready and prepared for everything, while the production made sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes. The BHS theater department’s beautiful rendition of a Shakespeare classic showcases the talent and passion of the team, and leaves audience members brimming with anticipation for performances to come in the future.