Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe
|February 16th - March 17th 2018|

Shadows,
Dark corners,
Illuminated flickerings,
“A lair of demons, where all the demons are within…”

Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest, quickest tragedy. It summons up dusk and midnight and at last a poor player struts and frets with empty sound and fury. It is a play about how dreams become nightmares, how a castle that by day seems the pleasant seat of nesting birds is transformed by night into hell itself- with a grimly porter at the gate. 

​“To know my deed, ’twere best not know myself.”

What people are saying:

Critics:
"Where this Macbeth really shines is in its approach to gender, with casting that adds a welcome gloss of contemporary social commentary to well-known source material." ~Megan Burbank, Portland Mercury READ HERE

"Van Der Merwe's erasure of gender shines a light on the play's obsession with manliness: feeling like a man, fighting like a man, killing like a man, dying like a man. In "Macbeth," as all too often in our own times, manhood is inextricably tied to violence. ~Ben Waterhouse, The Oregonian READ HERE

'Van Der Merwe has created a visually striking production of a play done so often it’s easy to forget, making it feel alive and relatable without coming across as heavy-handed." ~TJ Acena, Oregon Artswatch READ HERE

Patrons:
"Your innovation in direction, set and costume design as well as excellent actors never cease to amaze. So thankful that you exist here in Portland."

"Brilliant!"
"The show is still reverberating and thrilling me."
​
​"What a gripping production. The banquet scene especially was bone-chilling. Thanks for a great evening, and congratulations!"

​"It was a downright RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. Please go see it." 

"MAGNIFICENT. Macbeth and Lady Mac are two of the most masterful actors I've ever seen live. And the lighting! It'd be worth it just for that! Go!" 

---

One of our Macbeth interns, Jennie Spector, wrote her thoughts down at three different points in the rehearsal process.

Week One: The Big Questions
Macbeth Response Two: Answering
Macbeth Response 3: Perspective​

---

Macbeth Cast & Creatives

​Ensemble
Jamie Rea*                 Macbeth
Anne Sorce                 Lady Macbeth, Hecate
Dave Bodin                 Duncan, Old Man, Doctor
Aries Annyita              Malcolm, Hecate, Lady Macduff
Heath Koerschgen           Banquo, Siward
Vana O’Brien*              First Witch, Ross
Sam Dinkowitz              Second Witch, Macduff, Murderer
McKinley Hughes            Third Witch, Lennox, Seyton
Stella Greenvoss           Fourth Witch, Donalbain, Fleance

*Member of Actors' Equity Association

Creative Team
​Ted Gold, Alanna Hylton, Ryan Mooney, Kyra Sanford, Trevor Sargent, Natasha Stockem, and Samantha Van Der Merwe

Internships
Caitlin Lushington (Direction), Jennie Spector (Direction), Lenore Wan (Set Design)

---

Macbeth is generously supported by Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Ellyn Bye, The Miller Foundation, and members of Shaking the Tree's Board, as well as many other individual supporters. Help support our work here.