1. Year 11 Visit to Macbeth at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre
100 students from year 11 were lucky enough to experience Rufus Norris’ post-apocalyptic production of Macbeth at Sheffield Lyceum.
The production was set “Now, after a civil war” using the iconic line from play allowed the creative team to build a version of Macbeth which challenged our Year 11 students and enabled them to pose their own questions about the production and interpretations of themes such as the supernatural, power and ambition. Needless to say this provided much debate during the interval; particularly Lady Macbeth’s performance.
The witches are a treasure chest of potential for any director and this production did not disappoint. There were the three women climbing poles and peering down at the scenes below giving them an animal quality. When on stage there was some beautiful work with their united movement and the breath which bonds them. This provoked much discussion with year 11 and allowed them to debate their ideas on representations of the supernatural and how their influence over both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is presented in this production in comparison with their own interpretations and more traditional productions.
Despite the mixed reactions to the unusual and post-apocalyptic production it was a successful theatre trip and provoked continual discussion and debate.