By Hope McPherson
Performance
All performances are at 7:30 p.m.,
with an additional 2:00 p.m. matinee
on Saturday, February 2.
For tickets, call 206/281-2959.
Visit
Dates for Macbeth:
January 24-27
January 31-
February 2
www.spu.edu/theatre
for the complete
40th season schedule.
Alumni and Students Make Up the Cast for
SPU's Homecoming Production of Macbeth
In 1577, English historian
Raphael
Holinshed wrote about an 11th century warrior, Makbeth. As legend had it,
this
Makbeth met three strange women who foretold his ascension to Scotland's
throne.
Although not royalty, Makbeth did become king in A.D. 1034, after the
assassination
of King Duncan. Twenty-nine years after it was written, William Shakespeare
used
Holinshed's work to fashion Macbeth, his shortest and most chilling
tragedy.
Soon the play developed a legend of its own. From the beginning, productions
of
Macbeth were linked to injuries, fire and death, possibly because of
its large
cast, dark sets and sword fights. Before long — and as a bit of
thespian
"finger-crossing" — people in the theatre community stopped saying the
play's title inside a playhouse. Macbeth became known as "The
Scottish Play."
Nearly 400 years later, Seattle Pacific University's Theatre Department is
mounting
The Scottish Play as the centerpiece of its 40th theatre season. A highlight
of
Homecoming Weekend, the production includes several notable homecomings.
Returning
to direct the play, Professor Emeritus James Chapman was instrumental in
establishing
SPU's Theatre Department in 1961. With four decades of theatre expertise
behind
him, Chapman says this year's production benefits from both experienced
actors
and talented newcomers.
With a cast of 30, Macbeth features seven alumni, including 1995
graduate
Daniel Flint in the title role. Last year, Flint worked with Chapman on
Elephant
Man, in which Flint also played the title role. Other alumni include
Dale
Anderson '87, Michael Taylor Donovan '84, Jens Eckels '01, Amy Fagerness
'99,
Trevor Scranton '00 and Jason Zingsheim '00.
A professional actor, Flint turned down a role in Portland, Oregon, to join
SPU's
Macbeth. When he learned he had the title role, though, he balked. "It's a
love-hate thing," he admits. "I didn't want to play Macbeth at first." But
he did
want to work with Chapman again — especially after learning Chapman's
unique
vision for the tragedy. "In this production, events are projections of
Macbeth's
own will," says Flint. "In the end, it's about one person's free will."
Although most productions show Macbeth manipulated by his wife into
murdering
good King Duncan and usurping the throne, Chapman found something more in
the play.
"It's about Macbeth's own sin, which is the sin of ego and self," he
explains,
adding that the sin is one we see, and share, today. That's also the
perspective
he'll bring to freshmen in a Common Curriculum course as they read and
discuss
the play before attending it. "The idea is to give students the literary
background
behind the play," says Chapman, who adds that watching Macbeth is like
falling down
stairs. Once events begin, they gather speed. "It's a very direct
experience."
To intensify the action, Chapman and Yanik are focusing on movement,
evocative
lighting and primal sound — with members of SPU's Percussion Ensemble
supporting the action. Yanik will also use a stark set and stylized costumes
and
colors to create the essence of the 11th century castle and battlefield. The
three
eerie women won't be old hags. "I see a connection between the three weird
sisters
and Lady Macbeth," says Yanik, adding they won't be ugly, but captivating.
And allure, not sheer manipulation, also describes Macbeth's wife. "Lady
Macbeth
is one of the most exciting roles to play, but it's also frightening," says
Sarah Mosher. A senior majoring in costume design and theatre, Mosher
discovered
a frightened woman in her role of Lady Macbeth. "She has that sense of panic
we
all feel right now after September 11," she says, adding that Lady Macbeth
counters
uncertainty by encouraging her husband's sinful choices. "Macbeth is like
our times,
with so much blood and death," Mosher says. "There is a message of hope, but
we
as human beings and Christians have to find it."
Adds Flint about The Scottish Play, "People come in expecting to see
something
about someone else. But I hope they walk out knowing they've seen something
about
themselves."
To make Macbeth's actions and their disastrous consequences come alive for
the
audience, Chapman collaborated with Don Yanik. Chair of the Theatre
Department
and nationally recognized for his set designs, Yanik conferred with Chapman
about
mood and emotion as much as concrete details. "There are certain plays I've
wanted
to do with Jim and this is one of them," says Yanik.
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Send any questions, comments or correspondence about Response to jgilnett@spu.edu or call 206-281-2051. Copyright © 2003 University Communications, Seattle Pacific University.
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