Macbeth - A Senior School Production

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.

- The Witches, Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1

Recording of the show

The Scottish play, Macbeth, has long been regarded as one of the most haunting and evocative plays in William Shakespeare’s repertoire. It is a classic tragedy of a good man who becomes corrupted through the words of three witches, sowing death amongst his friends and peers whilst taking the kingdom for himself.

As part of the English canon of classical literature, it is studied worldwide. Through it, pupils explore the themes of corruption, loyalty, guilt, innocence, and fate. These challenging ideas are further combined with challenging language – as pupils need to interpret Shakespearian English, which is now over four hundred years old. From this, they study the roots of modern English and explore a rich literary heritage.

Our school production of Macbeth went a step further. Instead of pupils only reading the play, they explored music, drama, and English elements. They completed immersed themselves in the story: They have been quoting Shakespeare in the corridors, committing to after school rehearsals and giving up lunchtimes to design their performance. Every element of the production involved our pupils: They designed costumes, created the sets, and discussed how they wanted to represent each scene. This has led to a far deeper understanding of this challenging play than we could ever hope for by only studying the classroom text.

Furthermore, pupils learnt about site-specific plays, where scenes are not in a traditional stage setting; breaking the fourth wall, where actors engage directly with the audience, involving them; physical theatre, where actors need to use their physical presence to tell the story. Together, they managed to completely immerse their audience in the action of Macbeth. Narrators told the story bilingually, actors interacted with audiences while keeping the essence of their characters alive, and the whole story of Macbeth was communicated through language, dance, and physicality. All pupils also created the soundtrack to create a gothic, supernatural atmosphere around the school.

Photo gallery from the show

The performance was outstanding, and every actor will doubtlessly remember this performance for the rest of their lives. Not only have pupils understood Macbeth in-depth, but they all have a keen awareness of what it means to perform professionally. I hope many of them continue to appreciate drama long into the future, whether as audience members or actors.

Article by: Ms Coralie Moon
Drama Teacher