CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s Winter Shakespeare production is ‘Macbeth’, one of the Bard’s darkest and most famous tragedies.
Set in an unforgiving, post-apocalyptic world, the warrior Macbeth, spurred on by a supernatural prophecy and his power-hungry wife, is driven to murder and ultimate madness in his unrelenting quest to gain and keep the throne.
For the first time, NSF will bring the full production to Clarksville. This action-packed production began with student matinees on Feb 18 and will feature a public performance on Feb 21.
This new partnership came about, in part, through the relationship between NSF and MCHS English Teacher Melanie Hazen, who has been taking students to Nashville Shakespeare Festival performances for years. NSF staff have regularly visited Mrs. Hazen’s class to lead workshops and discussions for students.
“I was contacted at the end of last school year by Denise Hicks,” said Hazen “When she asked me, I was immediately all in. I don’t care what I have to do to make this happen, I want this to happen.”
NSF’s decision to tour this production allows thousands more middle and high school students to experience Shakespeare in a visceral, memorable way.
“It’s not like we have ready easy access, especially out here in Cunningham, to Shakespeare, to professional performances,” said Hazen. “The idea that not only could more kids see it, because we’re not having to travel, but that we could have a public performance for this community to come and see was kinda hard to pass up.”
The public performance will be held at the Montgomery Central High School Theater on Friday, Feb 21, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at www.nashvilleshakes.org or at ticketsnashville.com. If interested in booking school groups for the student matinees, please contact education@nashvilleshakes.org.
About the Production
David Wilkerson, a long-time NSF collaborator, local actor/director/fight choreographer, who teaches in the MTSU Theatre Department, and edited the text, also directs the play. “This Macbeth is an exploration of those moments that tempt us to deny the humanity in others, thus throwing away a piece of our own,” says Wilkerson. “In this defiled world, our choices can ease the corruption and the power of the creatures that feed on it, or our actions can add to it.”
Playing the title role is Sam Ashdown, returning to the Nashville Shakes stage after his critically acclaimed performances of Hamlet in ‘Hamlet’ (2018) and Mark Antony in JULIUS CAESAR (2019). Playing the merciless Lady Macbeth is Nashville native Mariah Parris, Jordan Gleaves returns to NSF to play Banquo, and NSF veteran Brian Russell will play Duncan. Other past NSF actors in the cast are Delaney Keith (Witch/Porter), Joy Greenawalt-Lay (Lady Macduff/Fleance), Kit Bulla (Witch), Andrew Johnson (Seyton), and Natalie Rankin (Witch). Joining the company for the first time are Elyse Dawson (Macduff), DeYonte Jenkins (Ross), Jonathan Contreras (Lennox), Lucy Buchanan (Malcolm), and 11-yr-old Micah Williams (Donalbaine).
Creating the eerie, ruinous, physical world of MACBETH is set designer Jim Manning, lighting designer Anne Willingham, costume designer Jocelyn Melechinsky, props designer Amanda Creech, and composer Evan Wilkerson will design the sound. The many battle scenes and murders in the play will be co-choreographed by fight director Carrie Brewer and director David Wilkerson.
All of NSF’s programming is supported in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission and Metro Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is one of 40 professional theater companies across the nation selected to perform a Shakespeare play with a professional team of actors for middle and high schools and conduct related educational activities for students.