When actors in Merely Players take the stage at Durango Arts Center for their latest production, “Macbeth,” they’re offering a fresh take on the classic Shakespearian tragedy.
“I’m pretty excited for the production and our take on it. I’m of the belief that Shakespeare shouldn’t be restricted to the past,” said Mona Wood-Patterson, Merely Players’ artistic director. “My goal and that of my team became to tell the story in a way that eliminates the distance that is associated with Shakespeare. We want the audience to look with eyes and listen with ears of the present.”
Wood-Patterson said the company worked to take the story out of any specific period of time.
“It crosses time,” she said. “In one scene, I have one actor using a lantern and another actor using a flashlight in the same scene because Shakespeare transcends time and place, and once you box it in to a particular period, I felt that that was not splitting open this great potential that the show has.”
“Macbeth” is the story of the Scottish general who is told by three witches that he will become king of Scotland. Macbeth becomes consumed by ambition, and he kills King Duncan and takes the throne as his own, only to be consumed again – this time by paranoia and guilt.
And while the works of William Shakespeare may have a reputation for being a little intimidating, Wood-Patterson said it was the company’s goal to make “Macbeth” as accessible as possible. In fact, as she does with every show, she will hold a “Plot Chat” an hour before each performance to go over the story with audience members.
“That was the whole goal of this was to make it accessible. And I think audiences are reporting that once they get in, at first, there’s perhaps a degree of confusion as you’re listening to the words and trying to figure it out,” she said. “But once you’ve sat there for a while, the poetry takes over, and it’s the language of the human heart. And you begin to understand, you begin to connect and it’s an amazing visual and aural feast – there’s a lot of sound design, a gorgeous light design that helps take you on this journey. I think we’ve really broken it open in a way that is very accessible.”
While all performances of the show are sold out, Wood-Patterson said there’s a good chance you could still snag some tickets through Merely Players’ wait list policy. Show up an hour before the performance of your choice and get your name on a waiting list. Then return about 20 minutes before curtain; this is the time when the crew will know if there have been last-minute cancellations.
“It is a rare show when we can’t get a few people in,” Wood-Patterson said. “And if you don’t get in, well, then you have a night free out on the town.”
“Macbeth” will run through Sunday at DAC.
katie@duranogherald.com
If you go
What:
Merely Players presents “Macbeth.”
When:
7 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Where:
Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave.
Tickets:
$26. All performances are sold out, but you are invited to go to the theater an hour before showtime and put your name on the waiting list in case there are any last-minute cancellations.
More information:
Visit
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