BRATTLEBORO — New England Youth Theatre presents William Shakespeare's Macbeth, directed by John Hadden, with Keely Eastley, to be performed at 7 p.m. on Aug. 10 and 11 and at 2 p.m. on Aug. 11 and 12 at NEYT, 100 Flat St.
Directed by Hadden, founder of Shakespeare & Co., and Eastley, Linklater Designated teacher, Shakespeare's classic study of ambition and power will be performed by NEYT's Senior Company, composed of young actors ages 13-19.
This culture-defining human tragedy is one of Shakespeare's most beloved and feared works, in which the beauty of the poetry balances the gruesomeness of the story to create a masterpiece that asks: What would drive a person to risk utter destruction for power?
After quashing a rebellion against King Duncan, Macbeth receives a prophecy that he will become king himself. His wife convinces him to kill the king in his sleep; one calamity leads to another, both in the world and in the minds of the two Macbeths, and by the end, they are both completely unhinged.
This production is staged to challenge the audience to confront the material from a new point of view.
“We wanted to do something unusual and exciting to awaken our audiences to the unexpected aspects of the play,” Hadden said in a news release. “We all know a story about a guy who is seduced into murder by power and glory. The difference is that in this play, our anti-hero speaks directly to us - revealing his insecurity, his desire, his fear, his reluctance.”