| A mock up of the initial stage design is above Using the theme of water, the stage's main feature is a 20' infinity waterfall. The simple design has red fabric columns topped by propane torches. A center platform slides over the 'river' to be used as a bed, a banquet table and a platform for the throne. The river is used by the Weird Sisters, drownings and Lady M's famous hand-washing. |
| The Call Board |
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| While you are building your character answer these questions. Whom do you love? Who do you trust? Who do you fear? What do you fear? Who do you hate? How old are you? How did you get to where you are standing in your first scene? Are you honest? Do you tell the truth to everyone? Are you clever? Where do you come from? Are you strong/powerful? What are you best at? Is there anything about you that makes you different from everyone else? Are you dependant on anyone? Who are your allies/enemies? Could they be the same people? How do you feel about Macbeth in the beginning of the play? How do you feel about him at the end? |
BLANK VERSE
The verse generally used in Shakespeare's plays consists of ten-syllabled
lines accented on every other syllable beginning with the second, and not
rhymed. An example of such a line with the accents marked is:
"Four níghts/will quíck/ly dréam/ awáy/ the tíme."
This verse is called unrhymed iambic pentameter--pentameter because the
ten syllables in the line are divided in two: with five groups, or feet, each
foot is an iamb, containing two syllables of which only the second is
accented.
RUN-ON LINES
There is usually a small mental pause at the end of a line.
(warning… I don’t like pauses. It needs to be just a flash, a breath, a nod to
the genius but NOT a lingering, boring, eye rolling, show stopping pause.)
In Midsummer, sometimes the line is meant to run over from one line into
the next, as in-
"And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things un-known; the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothings
A local habitation and a name."
Such lines, which are called "run-on" in distinction from "end-stopped,"
Scansion:
Is the key, if you will, that unlocks Shakespeare’s verse. It is a tool which
helps you understand the rhythmic framework of the text. Most of you have
had this in college, but just to briefly go over it…
Scansion helps you figure out the meter or STRESSES on syllables in lines
of verse.
Let’s look at the name of my home town Detroit. We stress the second
syllable, not the first. De-TROIT. For our basic use, I’ll substitute the mind
numbing names of the language of scansion: Iamb, trochee, anapest,
spondee, dactyl, amphibrack etc. with normal words.
Syllables are marked either as stressed (/) or unstressed (-) depending
upon the pronunciation of a given word within the line.
For instance, the word "example" would scan as: - / - ex- AM -ple
A Few Common Scansion Patterns
Foot Syllables Stress Pattern Example
iamb 2 - / De TROIT
trochee 2 / - MEM phis
spondee 2 / / NEW YORK
pyrrhic 2 - -
anapest 3 - - / Ten ees SEE
dactyl 3 / - - MICH i gan
Other Poetry Terms
assonance—repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel
sounds
caesura—a natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the
middle of the line
consonance—repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the
ends of words
couplet—a pair of lines of the same length that usually rhyme and form a
complete thought
enjambment—the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or
stanza to the next without a syntactical break
feminine ending—an extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line
masculine ending—an extra stressed syllable at the end of a line
The verse generally used in Shakespeare's plays consists of ten-syllabled
lines accented on every other syllable beginning with the second, and not
rhymed. An example of such a line with the accents marked is:
"Four níghts/will quíck/ly dréam/ awáy/ the tíme."
This verse is called unrhymed iambic pentameter--pentameter because the
ten syllables in the line are divided in two: with five groups, or feet, each
foot is an iamb, containing two syllables of which only the second is
accented.
RUN-ON LINES
There is usually a small mental pause at the end of a line.
(warning… I don’t like pauses. It needs to be just a flash, a breath, a nod to
the genius but NOT a lingering, boring, eye rolling, show stopping pause.)
In Midsummer, sometimes the line is meant to run over from one line into
the next, as in-
"And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things un-known; the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothings
A local habitation and a name."
Such lines, which are called "run-on" in distinction from "end-stopped,"
Scansion:
Is the key, if you will, that unlocks Shakespeare’s verse. It is a tool which
helps you understand the rhythmic framework of the text. Most of you have
had this in college, but just to briefly go over it…
Scansion helps you figure out the meter or STRESSES on syllables in lines
of verse.
Let’s look at the name of my home town Detroit. We stress the second
syllable, not the first. De-TROIT. For our basic use, I’ll substitute the mind
numbing names of the language of scansion: Iamb, trochee, anapest,
spondee, dactyl, amphibrack etc. with normal words.
Syllables are marked either as stressed (/) or unstressed (-) depending
upon the pronunciation of a given word within the line.
For instance, the word "example" would scan as: - / - ex- AM -ple
A Few Common Scansion Patterns
Foot Syllables Stress Pattern Example
iamb 2 - / De TROIT
trochee 2 / - MEM phis
spondee 2 / / NEW YORK
pyrrhic 2 - -
anapest 3 - - / Ten ees SEE
dactyl 3 / - - MICH i gan
Other Poetry Terms
assonance—repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel
sounds
caesura—a natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the
middle of the line
consonance—repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the
ends of words
couplet—a pair of lines of the same length that usually rhyme and form a
complete thought
enjambment—the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or
stanza to the next without a syntactical break
feminine ending—an extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line
masculine ending—an extra stressed syllable at the end of a line
| Director's Blog and Notes Hi: I thought I'd jot some notes for actors or visitors to our site, in case you are interested in how we go about dreaming up sets, costumes and how we transform a soccer field into a wonderful outdoor theatre. Actors should feel free to email me with questions and I'll answer if I am able. Colleen Stovall August 16 7:08 pm Demetrius made me the most amazing scale model of the set. See photos to the left. You'll note that there are a few changes to the set. On the stage left side you'll see that we cut off the horizontal line provided by the balcony. we crated an angle with a 6 foot tall gate. the double doors will be used in the Porter's scene and the backstage space provided there will be used to store the 4x5' table/bed on wheels and the oversized throne. This area will also be able to be locked, so we can use it for storage over night. The Stage Right area will have two sets of 3' stairs with a landing. This will allow easy access to the balcony. My neighbor has a perfect stairway on his construction site, which we can use for the backstage entrance to the balcony. Thanks, Octavio! Miami Beach has told us that we cannot have any fire on stage, so we'll have to crank up the giant torches when we reach Coconut Grove. August 14 12:17 am Oh my God! Well, it looks as if we are now going to have three weeks of shows; Miami Beach, Coconut Grove and Miami Gardens. I'm exhausted, just thinking of it. This is wonderful news because we have always wanted to hold our shows over multiple weekends so that our audience can build as the weeks go by. It also helps the actors by finally allowing us to enter into competition for the carbonnell awards, South Florida's most prestigious drama awards. I have some news about our Lady Macbeth, but I cannot make the announcement until the AEA contract has been signed and finalized. Casting was a hoot. I got chewed out by an august actor (not of this country) who lectured me about my casting decisions. His agent gave me hell for wasting his time. Sighhhhh. What is it with the Olympics, by the way? Every time I turn on the television, it is either swimming or volley ball. what ever happened to fencing, shooting, track, judo, cycling, etc.? Actors should check the new calendar page for rehearsal and performance schedules. As I was putting my calendar together, I realized that every year we rehearse on my birthday and perform on my son, Chaille's birthday. I don't even notice it, but I think Chaille likes the idea of celebrating with the cast. July 25 10:05 The show is cast! The new book is in! Yahoo! Company Member Daniel Lugo and I volunteered at Shake-a-leg's "Anything can Happen" Day. It was a fun event for their summer campers and it exposed them to many forms of performing arts, crafts and the fine arts. There was some world famous violinist from Russia there who played a piece from Swan Lake and had the kids totally enthralled. Daniel did some short performances with masks. The kids were alternately frightened of him and in love with him. He was all up in their faces and running all over the room. The kids just went crazy! There were a few hundred campers there and although it was very hot, it was a great event. They sat still for about an hour and a half as performers, musicians and others came up and talked and performed. Those were amazingly well behaved children. Part of what Shake-a-leg does is to mix kids from all backgrounds and ability levels together in a normal summer camp setting. I had a blast decorating the wheelchair of a lovely young lady with Titania's wings, a purple ballgown and a tiara to top it all off. She took her role very seriously and was a tad reluctant to relinquish her finery. My first thought was to just give her the costume. I had to stop myself because I realized that if I wanted to treat her just like one of the other kids, I couldn't do it. There were five other girls helping me out. I couldn't give away all my Midsummer Night's Dream costumes. The other girls would have been very unhappy if I wasn't handing out fairy wings and tiaras to everyone. Treating her specially wouldn't be making her any friends. The fairy wings came home with me. Sigh. July 17 12:39am Auditions, tattoos and naked warriors. Well, we had an amazing crowd of actors who came to audition. I'm very excited about the callbacks and additional Equity walk ins on July 21 Thanks to all of the actors who took the time to prepare a piece and to come out and audition. I've been thinking about tattoos. Yes, tattoos. Julius Caesar described the ancient Britons as scarey wack jobs who went into battle naked and slathered in blue dye. Some scholars think the translation meant blue glass (scarification) or blue tattoos. The common theory is that they used blue dye derived from the Woad plant in face and body painting to terrify their opponents during battle. Kind of like Braveheart only scarey. According to the Wikipedia entry on Woad, the first archaeological find of woad seeds were found in the French cave of l'Audoste, Bouches du Rhone. Some people report that the blue dye from Woad was used as a tattooing ink but I have read that the dye dissolves after the tattoo has been completed and so it probably wasn't the substance actually used for coloring tattoos. I think our actors will be heavily tattooed. I just purchased celtic tattoo sleeves, which are full arm tattoos, convienently painted on sheer sleeves, giving the appearance of a severely tatttooed arm. Tatts sans ouch. I am also experimenting with temporary tattoos. Because the tattoos were not meant to be hidden,(this means put on your face) we will experiment with them on faces as well. I was thinking about doing henna tattoos, but most of our actors have day jobs and it may be difficult to explain away a full face tattoo during the run of the show. also...blue body paint. The Picts and ancient celts were reported to have gone into battle naked. While that may be fun and controversial, a bare chest with a little blue clay substance might be a better choice... colorful AND scarey. Hmmm. Maybe we had better work this out in advance. we don't want to look like smurf warriors. MacSmurf. July 11 5:02pm Faux Fur robe The response to our audition call has been phenominal. Actors are coming from as far away as New York. I had to shut down the sign up sheet because we simply ran out of time. I' m hoping I can find the Macbeth I need. I have no doubt that there are many gals who can play Lady M as I see her, but I'm not familiar with the older male actors in the area. I can't wait to see who shows up. Yesterday I found a full length faux fox coat for Macbeth's night robe. I cut the sleeves and the fluffy fur pockets off and viola! a regal vest/robe. I have this image of Macbeth's bed being a simple platform piled with skins and furs. (Faux if possible) I need to also dig out the leather armor that my sister Nancy gave me. It needs to be dyed and assembled. arrgh... what a job. As soon as the auditions are over, I will tackle the task of hiring the costumer for this production so I'm not tempted to put together three sets of leather armor. July 5 1:07 pm Lady Macbeth Yeah, I know... I gotta get a life! I have been thinking about our Lady M. She's gonna be young. How Young? Scary young. I need an adult actor who can play a 15 year old vixen with a heart as black as the mouth of hell... and play her convincingly. I'm trying to find a counterpart for our 15 year old Lady M... I want a 60+ year old Macbeth. He needs to be able to fight and have a seductive spirit because if you read the play carefully, our Scott spends a lot of time seducing others... The age difference needs to scream "some thing's not right here!" and "ewwww". It needs to be almost an obscene age difference. This decision was sparked by my thinking about the Scott. He has been a loyal retainer and now a mid level general in the twilight of his career. He's been content busting heads for the King, content with his life of serving as a hammer for the ruler. What could cause this loyal man in an advanced age to suddenly turn the switch and covet advancement at absolutely any cost? Sure, it is tempting to say that the witches prophesy alone changes Macbeth in a flash. Here is permission to covet. What changes in him and what plants the seeds of disloyalty and why does it sprout so quickly? Why is he so susceptible to this prophesy? Did he just leave a wife at home in bed laughing at him for being an old man in an ugly rundown castle. (the King politely comments on the nice "air" of the castle. ) I think she has him dazed with lust and is learning how far she can drive him. Dazed with desire, he wants to impress her and give her everything she desires... Maybe she decides to take her power over him...out for a spin. (read Lolita... I can't stress this enough) Maybe she is bored... Maybe she longs for something bigger, greater and covered with more jewels. Maybe she decides to withhold sex...How far will he go to get back into her bed? Let's see now... What can she get him to do? Murder? I am envisioning a Lady M a laughing girl a pampered golden child. Radiant, apple cheeked, flaxen haired and the beloved mistress of her people. It's all an act. In reality, she's a corrupt, evil monster. Not a bimbo, but a real child who happens to have no conscience. By the time she realizes what she has done, the guilt, horror and fear have driven her mad. She is like a child who sets a forest fire and laughs and claps her hands as the flames dance higher and higher. As it begins to burn out of control and spread to the entire forest, she realizes that to her horror, she is powerless to stop it. The fire completely immolates her and everything around her. e the river at front of the stage. The costume designer will need to design with wet costumes in mind. I don't think they will appear any other way than dripping wet. My son, Chaille suggested that we design the witches after the scary little gal in the film "the Ring". I like the idea of the creepy long hair and the simple white gown. Let's see what the designer comes up with. When i get a chance, I'll scan in his character design drawings, which are truly truly creepy. Stage notes: The stage will be coated with no-skid so that the witches can move about the stage and not worry about leaving puddles for the actors following. A mock up of the waterfall will be built off site so that the actors will have an opportunity to practice in the water. We are renting portable space heaters so the gals won't be too cold backstage. The river water will be heated. We have specialists from UM who are helping us build these water systems complete with heaters and safe underwater lighting. RSMAS rocks! Waterfall A company in Orlando has donated an engineer to design our waterfall. The man in charge has built waterfalls and fountains for some of the giant casinos in Los Vegas. |
Do Some Thinking
Here are a few thoughts to get you started
Sleep
There are many references to "sleep," both as a literal physical state and as a spiritual metaphor in this play. Are the
references literal? Why or why not? How does this idea of sleep move the play forward? When Macbeth murders
sleep, does anyone get a good night's sleep? But consider also what the sleep Macbeth metaphor means in
spiritual and emotional terms. What human qualities has Macbeth murdered? Why are there twelve references to
sleep in 2.2? Go to our script page and do a search (control F) and put in sleep. Hit 'next' until you are done.
How many did you come up with?
Kids
Macbeth seems to be bothered by other people's children in the play. (Aren't we all?) Look for references to sons,
daughters and children. He seems to get it wrong most times when it comes to the kiddies.
Do a search for children, babes and sons. See what you find. Did you know that Lady Macbeth in real life (or as real
as we can figure out) had a child that died or was killed? in our play, we are going to suppose that Lady Macbeth,
who literally was a prize, kind of a "spoils of war" at her husband's death had a child. I think she killed it ... Macbeth
had killed her husband (sounds like Richard III) and greedily, he had to have her. Our lady M is 15 years old.
Having her first child at 14 probably wasn't very easy on her physically, so when Macbeth decides the baby has to
'go' so only his heirs will inherit his lands, she isn't too upset by it. I have this image of her calmly dropping it out a
castle window on to the rocks below. Maybe she's slightly (OK, really) a bit of a sociopath to begin with.
Which speech by lady M indicates that she has had a child in the past? Our lady M is a child. A beautiful ice
princess of a child ... with a heart as black as death. Read Nabikov's book Lolita to understand obsession and control
and how it always ends badly.
Time
Hmmm. This may seem easy and obvious. Do some thinking about the concept of time and lack of time and the
proper time and look for other ways to describe time. The word 'Time' is used over 50 times in this play.
De-Coding the lines
How to speak and read this stuff without becoming intimidated or losing your freaking mind. If it
frightens you, don't worry... we'll have plenty of time to work on it. It's not as complicated as you think,
because you already speak in iambic pentameter more than you realize.....
Here are a few thoughts to get you started
Sleep
There are many references to "sleep," both as a literal physical state and as a spiritual metaphor in this play. Are the
references literal? Why or why not? How does this idea of sleep move the play forward? When Macbeth murders
sleep, does anyone get a good night's sleep? But consider also what the sleep Macbeth metaphor means in
spiritual and emotional terms. What human qualities has Macbeth murdered? Why are there twelve references to
sleep in 2.2? Go to our script page and do a search (control F) and put in sleep. Hit 'next' until you are done.
How many did you come up with?
Kids
Macbeth seems to be bothered by other people's children in the play. (Aren't we all?) Look for references to sons,
daughters and children. He seems to get it wrong most times when it comes to the kiddies.
Do a search for children, babes and sons. See what you find. Did you know that Lady Macbeth in real life (or as real
as we can figure out) had a child that died or was killed? in our play, we are going to suppose that Lady Macbeth,
who literally was a prize, kind of a "spoils of war" at her husband's death had a child. I think she killed it ... Macbeth
had killed her husband (sounds like Richard III) and greedily, he had to have her. Our lady M is 15 years old.
Having her first child at 14 probably wasn't very easy on her physically, so when Macbeth decides the baby has to
'go' so only his heirs will inherit his lands, she isn't too upset by it. I have this image of her calmly dropping it out a
castle window on to the rocks below. Maybe she's slightly (OK, really) a bit of a sociopath to begin with.
Which speech by lady M indicates that she has had a child in the past? Our lady M is a child. A beautiful ice
princess of a child ... with a heart as black as death. Read Nabikov's book Lolita to understand obsession and control
and how it always ends badly.
Time
Hmmm. This may seem easy and obvious. Do some thinking about the concept of time and lack of time and the
proper time and look for other ways to describe time. The word 'Time' is used over 50 times in this play.
De-Coding the lines
How to speak and read this stuff without becoming intimidated or losing your freaking mind. If it
frightens you, don't worry... we'll have plenty of time to work on it. It's not as complicated as you think,
because you already speak in iambic pentameter more than you realize.....
Information for actors and crew members to ignore so they can ask the Stage Manager over and over .....
| UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE IN MACBETH ACTORS: Don't just memorize the words. Even if you don't have a lot of lines...study, do a little research, read the play at least once a week. Think about symbols: blood, animals, darkness, etc. Look for symbolism in your lines. Do some research. What in the hell are you talking about? Are you sure? Are there any Renaissance current events in the play? In your lines? Remember, though. This play is based on sketchy historical 'facts'. Although there are traditional ways to intrepret the play and each role, keep in mind that I have very definate ideas about how I wish to attack the play. Do the research but don't get married to your research, historic 'facts' or your idea of how your character has been traditionally intrepreted. I am flexible, but want to present a unique interpretation of the play. If you have thoughts or ideas, please email them to me on the form above and I'll add the best ones to the discussion or our rehearsal process. During rehearsals, please save suggestions until they are requested. We have very little time and disruptions slow down the process. Practice your diction, practice your lines.go over your blocking in your head every day. Colleen |
| Study Aids for Macbeth |
| ACTORS |
| EXERCISE |
Macbeth - Skye Whitcomb Lady Macbeth - To be announced pending Equity contract Malcom - Macduff - Johnny Hightower Lennox - Fernando Bretos Ross - Veronique Koch Banquo/Scottish Doctor - Andy Jean-Gilles Angus/Porter/Featured Fighter - Paul Bloe Witch 1/Murderer1/Gentlewoman - Elena vital Witch 2/Murderer2/Understudy Lady M - Meghan Bode Witch 3/Murderer 3 - Sasha Belle Newfeld Duncan/Siward - Steve Schlam Lady MacDuff - Dania Aguero MacDuff Son - to be announced MacDuff Daughter - Molly Eisenhart Cathines - TBA/Pending acceptance Donaldbain - Sean Maguire Fleance/Menteith/English Doctor - Seyton - Fighter TBA Messenger/Servant/Fighter - Marianne Eisenhart Soldier/Party guest/Fighter - TBA/Pending acceptance of the role Extras/Party Guests/Fighters TBA |
July 4 9:00pm
Equivocation and the Gunpowder Plot
What does this have to do with our understanding of Macbeth? Why should you care?
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of English Catholic terrorist nut
burgers who wanted to do away with King James I of England & Scotland. He was a crazy guy to begin with and
probably shouldn't have been running a MacDonald's let alone England and Scotland... however, the idea was to
kill the King and most of the Protestant ruling class in a
single giant explosion. (sound familiar at all?)
The plan was to blow everyone to kingdom come at the opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605. This may
seem to us like... Ho, hum, just another bomb...keep in mind that the people of the time considered it to be much
worse than the attacks on September 11, 2001 seem to us today. In addition, a dastardly second phase of the plan
was to kidnap the rest of the royal family (I imagine this would have ended like the end of the Romanov family in
Russia after their caputre and imprisonment. No one wanted any member of the family alive so no "rescue
attempts" could be made on the imprisoned royals. Also crucial to their plot was their assumption that in the
ensuing chaos, unhappy Catholics and other citizens would join in the revolt which would put the Catholics back
in power with James’ daughter,
Princess Elizabeth on the throne.
The plotters almost succeeded when a room under the Parliament building became available for rent. Head
plotter, Guy Fawkes moved 36 giant barrels of gunpowder into place, directly beneath the spot where King James
I would be sitting. Had they been successfully ignited, the explosion could have demolished most of the buildings
in the Westminster Palace complex, and would have blown out windows in the surrounding area of about a ½ mile
radius.
Due to plague and other delays, the opening date kept being pushed back and finally, the plot was foiled by
aristocratic plotters who wrote letters warning their pals to skip the opening of the Parliment.
Interest in the demons and witchcraft reached a fever
pitch after the Gunpowder Plot was exposed. Killing a
king was considered to be the act of the Devil because people believd that the king was appointed by God.
(King James had become obsessed with witchcraft way before he was king. He wrote a wacky book called
Daemonology in 1597, which was then considered a
great scholarly accomplishment.) The Gunpowder Plot is believed to have partly inspired William Shakespeare's
Macbeth. (You wondered how I was going to tie all
this together, weren't you?)
Shakespeare gave a nod to James' research
by using some of the Demons from his book
in the play. Demonic logic such as the line " fair is foul and foul is fair" and other references to witches are
frequently seen in the play. This play was performed for the King and was supposed to be a flattering reference to
his Scottish ancestory. It was a major suck up to the King, who supposedly descended from Banquo. Another
probable reference to the Gunpowder plot and James I were all the references in Macbeth about equivocation.
One of the plotters was a Priest named Father Henry Garnett.
Shakespeare references Father Garnett's essay and mocks it by giving the lines to comic character, the Porter.
“Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
Swear in both the scales against either scale;
Who committed treason enough for God's sake,
Yet could not equivocate to heaven
- Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 3
The porter directly alludes to the practice of deceiving
under oath using a technique called equivocation.
The central concept of Macbeth's long aside that occurs in Act 1, scene iii, is concerned with equivocation and
ambiguity. In this aside Macbeth speaks in circles, suggesting that the prophesies give him permission to move
forward without consequence. Kind of a formal version of "the ends justify the means." Big mistake on his part.
The final words of his speech are an object lesson in the art of equivocation. The character ‘Macbeth’ is intended
to parallel withthe real life figure of Father Henry Garnet who was executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot.
Garnet's name is tied to the idea of Equivocation because of an infamous essay he composed on the subject of
equivocation, giving plotters and others lessons on how to respond in utterly ambiguous ways to official
questioning while under oath in order to protect yourself from prosecution while also ensuring that you reveal
no actually useful information.
Shakespeare has Macbeth apply Garnet's lessons regarding equivocation with predictably disastrous results as
he considers and rejects the possibility of the witches having the ability to know his future. His weak
equivocating gets a little pathetic in the murder scene when he struggles mightily to absolve himself of guilt
and justify the act of murder.
June 28 Photo book.
I'm finishing up the last bits of a book about our five years in Peacock Park. It's turning out nicely, mostly photos
of productions and castmembers. Watch this space for more iformation. It's a hardcover book and I think it'll sell
for about $30.00. T-shirts are finally coming. We will have a white shirt wtih the Macbeth poster on the front and
I think it'll go for about $20.
June 29
Costume ideas:
The three witches will use the understage entrance through the waterfall to enable them to appear and
dissappear. They will also use the understage entrance for the front pool
Equivocation and the Gunpowder Plot
What does this have to do with our understanding of Macbeth? Why should you care?
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of English Catholic terrorist nut
burgers who wanted to do away with King James I of England & Scotland. He was a crazy guy to begin with and
probably shouldn't have been running a MacDonald's let alone England and Scotland... however, the idea was to
kill the King and most of the Protestant ruling class in a
single giant explosion. (sound familiar at all?)
The plan was to blow everyone to kingdom come at the opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605. This may
seem to us like... Ho, hum, just another bomb...keep in mind that the people of the time considered it to be much
worse than the attacks on September 11, 2001 seem to us today. In addition, a dastardly second phase of the plan
was to kidnap the rest of the royal family (I imagine this would have ended like the end of the Romanov family in
Russia after their caputre and imprisonment. No one wanted any member of the family alive so no "rescue
attempts" could be made on the imprisoned royals. Also crucial to their plot was their assumption that in the
ensuing chaos, unhappy Catholics and other citizens would join in the revolt which would put the Catholics back
in power with James’ daughter,
Princess Elizabeth on the throne.
The plotters almost succeeded when a room under the Parliament building became available for rent. Head
plotter, Guy Fawkes moved 36 giant barrels of gunpowder into place, directly beneath the spot where King James
I would be sitting. Had they been successfully ignited, the explosion could have demolished most of the buildings
in the Westminster Palace complex, and would have blown out windows in the surrounding area of about a ½ mile
radius.
Due to plague and other delays, the opening date kept being pushed back and finally, the plot was foiled by
aristocratic plotters who wrote letters warning their pals to skip the opening of the Parliment.
Interest in the demons and witchcraft reached a fever
pitch after the Gunpowder Plot was exposed. Killing a
king was considered to be the act of the Devil because people believd that the king was appointed by God.
(King James had become obsessed with witchcraft way before he was king. He wrote a wacky book called
Daemonology in 1597, which was then considered a
great scholarly accomplishment.) The Gunpowder Plot is believed to have partly inspired William Shakespeare's
Macbeth. (You wondered how I was going to tie all
this together, weren't you?)
Shakespeare gave a nod to James' research
by using some of the Demons from his book
in the play. Demonic logic such as the line " fair is foul and foul is fair" and other references to witches are
frequently seen in the play. This play was performed for the King and was supposed to be a flattering reference to
his Scottish ancestory. It was a major suck up to the King, who supposedly descended from Banquo. Another
probable reference to the Gunpowder plot and James I were all the references in Macbeth about equivocation.
One of the plotters was a Priest named Father Henry Garnett.
Shakespeare references Father Garnett's essay and mocks it by giving the lines to comic character, the Porter.
“Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
Swear in both the scales against either scale;
Who committed treason enough for God's sake,
Yet could not equivocate to heaven
- Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 3
The porter directly alludes to the practice of deceiving
under oath using a technique called equivocation.
The central concept of Macbeth's long aside that occurs in Act 1, scene iii, is concerned with equivocation and
ambiguity. In this aside Macbeth speaks in circles, suggesting that the prophesies give him permission to move
forward without consequence. Kind of a formal version of "the ends justify the means." Big mistake on his part.
The final words of his speech are an object lesson in the art of equivocation. The character ‘Macbeth’ is intended
to parallel withthe real life figure of Father Henry Garnet who was executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot.
Garnet's name is tied to the idea of Equivocation because of an infamous essay he composed on the subject of
equivocation, giving plotters and others lessons on how to respond in utterly ambiguous ways to official
questioning while under oath in order to protect yourself from prosecution while also ensuring that you reveal
no actually useful information.
Shakespeare has Macbeth apply Garnet's lessons regarding equivocation with predictably disastrous results as
he considers and rejects the possibility of the witches having the ability to know his future. His weak
equivocating gets a little pathetic in the murder scene when he struggles mightily to absolve himself of guilt
and justify the act of murder.
June 28 Photo book.
I'm finishing up the last bits of a book about our five years in Peacock Park. It's turning out nicely, mostly photos
of productions and castmembers. Watch this space for more iformation. It's a hardcover book and I think it'll sell
for about $30.00. T-shirts are finally coming. We will have a white shirt wtih the Macbeth poster on the front and
I think it'll go for about $20.
June 29
Costume ideas:
The three witches will use the understage entrance through the waterfall to enable them to appear and
dissappear. They will also use the understage entrance for the front pool
| EARLY BLOGS |
| Company Fight School |
| OCTOBER 11 & 12 8:30am to 6:00pm Florida Memorial University 15800 N. W. 42 ND AVENUE MIAMI GARDENS , FL 33054 (305) 626-3600 Directions to FMU Company fight school will be a weekend long intensive stage combat training program for actors fighting in Macbeth. Space permitting, all company members and crew members are encouraged to attend fight school. Prepare NOW Actors who will be fighting need to begin a fitness program to increase endourance and upper body strength. If you don't belong to a gym, pile on the push ups and take up running. We were very fortunate to have been able to retain the services of Mr. Joey Costello. Joey's website is: www. Heroes-for-hire.com Workshop prices: Macbeth Cast and Crew FREE Company Members FREE Non-Company Members $550 This money goes to our fight director to help pay his fees. There will be five full scholarships awarded to students in the Theatre Program at Florida Memorial University You are going to need a practice sword It's best to make it yourself. Don't spend the money on an expensive practice sword. The Japanese ones work ok, too, but they cost a bunch of money... Make it yourself from a 4 foot piece of 1" dowel. (bring two, because they might break.) Wrap one end about 11" up with a nice cushioning of cloth tape or duct tape. Gaffer tape or medical tape works best because it's not slippery. I have seen people make elaborate handles for these dowel swords, but I don't know how to do it. You will need leather gloves. I found that the soft yellow leather work gloves that you can find at a hardware store work well. Don't go spending lots of money on the glove. Shoes: sneakers with good support. No running shoes. Tennis shoes work well. WEAR: long sweat pants or leggings Long sleeved T shirts or regular T shirts Sneakers or Tevas with strong ankle straps Do NOT wear: sandals, shorts, skimpy tank tops HAIR: plan to tie your hair back from your face in a pony tail or put it up in a bun if it is long. |
| Three Weekends of Performances! January 9, 10 & 11 at Flamingo Park in Miami Beach January 15, 16, 17 & 18 at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove January 22, 23, 24 & 25 at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens 14 shows total |
| Bring to each rehearsal Your copy of the script pencil notebook reference books water dinner / snacks A Note on Rehearsal attire: Please show respect for the other actors by wearing appropriate rehearsal clothing to each rehearsal. No skirts , dresses or business clothes, please. Wear clothes you can work and sweat in. You will need to wear flat shoes. No heels or dress shoes, please. |
| CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CAST OF M A C B E T H |
Stage model of alternate stage design. Model by Demetrius Carter
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