Macbeth performances now running at Centralia College through Nov. 15

Having debuted this past Halloween weekend, members of the Centralia College theatre program will perform William Shakespeare’s Macbeth over the next two weekends in collaborative performances with the String and Shadow Puppet Theatre.

In the collaborative performances, human actors are paired on stage with “larger-than-life papier-mâché figures” to bring Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of Macbeth and his rise and fall from the Scottish throne.

Performances will be held at the college’s Wickstrom Studio Theater on Friday, Nov. 6, and Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., with Sunday matinees on Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are available for purchase online at https://tinyurl.com/yck7zxnh. 

The theater is located at 701 W. Pear St. in Centralia. Tickets are $15 for students and seniors and $18 for adults, with the Friday, Nov. 6, performance being “pay-what-you-can night.”

“This production marks the first collaboration between Centralia College (CC) Theatre and String and Puppet Shadow Theatre. As the head of the drama program, I believe it is my responsibility to expose students and audiences alike to different modes of story-telling,” Director Emily Kreilkamp said in the play program director’s note. “The stylized nature of puppetry performance lends itself to a story which taps into archetypal figures, desires and taboos, while the sheer scale of the giant papier-mâché puppets also works hand in hand with the epic proportions of the mythic tale of Macbeth. The mask-making workshops which accompanied this production, led by Emily McHugh, co-founder of String and Shadow, have also given students new skill sets and tools they can take with them. Those masks the cast made are being used in this production.”

Kreilkamp added the performances are also the theatre program’s first collaboration with Steven Moncado as composer.

“The music you will hear throughout the performance, performed live, is a world premiere of compositions created specifically for this production. The dissonant sounds and atonal melodies provide a haunting tapestry to this emotionally wrought piece. And so, I hope you appreciate the bloody, tragic and mythic tale of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. We have many new faces we are welcoming to the stage on this production — most of them CC students — and it is an honor to work with such an enthusiastic, hard-working, and passionate group of thespians. These actors are a far cry from a ‘poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.’ Many thanks to the fabulous production team who does what needs to be done with patience and grace,” Kreilkamp said.

The cast of the CC Theater’s performances of Macbeth includes:

• Isaac DeLarme as Macbeth

• Kelsi Mack as Lady Macbeth

• Maysie Bishop, Dakota Fox as two of the three Witches

• Magdelena Burgman as the third Witch and the Gentlewoman

• Matt Leggett as Banquo

• Ed Thorpe as King Duncan and Siward

• Jesus Canedo as Macduff

• Coral Earrame as Lady Macduff and Lennox

• David Locklin as Malcolm

• Archie Gunter as Fleance, Macduff’s son and a messenger

• Lotus Minor as Ross

• Christian Crossland as Captain and Porter

• Tristen Olson as Donalbain and Menteith

• Derek Wilson as Angus and a Lord

• Joe Pettit as Caithness and a messenger

• Tom Lockhart as the Scottish doctor and the Old man

• Ilee Morgan as Young Siward and the English doctor

• Rebecca Fogde as Setyon

• Ashley Morgan as Macduff child

Joining Kreilkamp, McHugh and Moncado on the play’s production staff are Thomas Perkins, technical director; Hailey Hubbard, costume designer; Alex Eades, lighting designer; Izzy Forslund, rehearsal stage and house manager; Madeline Gwinn, performance stage manager; Lily Kealoha, fight choreographer and stage crew; Hung Luu and Bella Tenney, stage crew; Richard Fitzwater and Rick Perkins, streaming assistance; Amanda Haines, Erik Blanco and Paul Thurman, photography; Walter Portz, social media, and Brendan Morrison, graphic design.

Pit orchestra members include Travis Larson on percussion, David Evans on viola and Barbra Campbell and Brian Garrison on violoncellos.

Sponsors of the CC Theater program include Fuji Teriyaki, The Evergreen Playhouse, Mountain View CPAs, Vintage Vault 33 & Estate Sales, and McMenamins Olympic Club.

To learn more, visit CC’s website at https://www.centralia.edu/pathways/arts-humanities/drama.aspx.