RIPON COLLEGE THEATRE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS MACB3TH

90 minutes. 3 actors. 1 crown. A reshaped take on Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy

The Ripon College Theatre Department invites audiences to Macb3th, its own version of William Shakespeare’s classic, bloody tragedy. Performances run October 28–31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chemerow Theatre of the C.J. Rodman Center for the Performing Arts.

About the Production

Macb3th strips Shakespeare’s tragedy down to its essentials: three actors carry the entire story in a tight 90-minute show. The company built the show using elements of original Shakespearean rehearsal practices, then reshaped and devised it into a new staging of the familiar tale.

This version tells the story through the eyes of the mysterious Weyward Sisters. Through their gaze, the production explores questions of loyalty, ambition and fate and how far one person will go for a crown.

“What’s been so exciting about this process is that, because we’ve been using many of the original practices Shakespeare’s company would have used, working from cue scripts, improvised blocking and an abbreviated rehearsal process, the actors have had so much ownership over the process and the show itself,” said Jessie Lillis, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Ripon College. “All of the ideas have been generated by the ensemble, and they have room to grow and change as the actors continue to work with the text.”

Lillis added that the cast has found creative solutions to problems and has the freedom to keep iterating on them as the run goes on, rather than getting trapped in the first option they discovered. “Using this classic text as a playground for curiosity, creativity and connection has been such a delightful experience,” Lillis said, “and we’re excited to add our final ensemble member, the audience!”

Performance Details

Show: Macb3th, written by William Shakespeare
Dates: Wednesday, October 28 – Saturday, October 31
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Chemerow Theatre, CJ Rodman Center for the Performing Arts, Ripon College
Run time: 90 minutes
Special event: Costume contest at the October 31 performance
Tickets: Free

Halloween Night Costume Contest

The October 31 performance adds a Halloween twist. Audiences are invited to attend in costume and take part in a costume contest, a fitting way to spend the spookiest night of the year with witches, ghosts and a doomed king.