Details
The Shakespeare OP Players present Shakespeare's Macbeth in original pronunciation (OP), i.e. Early Modern English as spoken in the late 16th / early 17th centuries in London. In OP, subtleties, intimacy, puns, rhyming and characterizations are more audible than they are in contemporary English. The presentation of Shakespeare's plays in period pronunciation is gaining momentum, and Shakespeare OP Players are proud to bring their second production to New York next month, following a successful run of Twelfth Night in OP last year at the American Theatre of Actors (ATA).
A fresh interpretation based on recent scholarship unveiling the true meaning of the play features a strong focus on the demonic elements that drive Macbeth and his Lady to their ultimate damnation.
"In Shakespeare’s time, witchcraft and its diabolical roots were perceived as threats, as real as Nazism and Communism in their eras, and were strongly believed to have fueled the events of the play," said Hamilton Meadows, the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of the Shakespeare OP Players. "This history provides a foundation for the artistic concept of our production, which will be unlike any production of Macbeth staged in New York."
Performers include Bjorn Pederson as Macbeth; Lize Johnston as Lady Macbeth, who played Viola in Twelfth Night OP; and Joel Fullerton as MacDuff, who played Sir Andrew Agucheek in Twelfth Night OP.
Macbeth OP is produced and directed by award-winning director/actor/filmmaker Hamilton Meadows. Dramaturgy and dialect coaching is by Diana Swinburne. Voice coaching is by John Windsor-Cunningham, costumes are by Michael Tester, stage management by Larry Breindel, lighting by Hamilton Meadows and Phillip Waller.
The Shakespeare OP Players (dba the ShakespeareOP company) was founded in 2010 as a nonprofit organization under Fractured Atlas, dedicated to the production of Shakespeare's plays in original pronunciation (OP). Based in New York, our mission is to stage works spoken in an accent that would have been heard in Shakespeare's times, form an ensemble that performs Shakespeare OP productions in New York City and on tour throughout the United States, and to archive the production process and final stagings on film for use by performers, students, and linguists with an interest in original pronunciation.
For further information, contact Hamilton Meadows 646-590-2583, info@shakespeareop.com, www.shakespeareop.com.
When
Where
American Theatre of Actors
between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York, NY 10019
