Macbeth will run Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 6-7 at the Subterranean Jazz and Barbecue Dive inside the Moxy Hotel in downtown Springfield.
Actor Ben Isaacs explained that director Amanda Cole chose a traditional approach for this production.
“We're all dressed in a garb of the time,” said Isaacs. “Jonah and I are going to be in armor for the beginning of it and for the end of it for the battle scenes. And it'll be pretty true to the time period. Of course, it's going to have anachronisms, but Shakespeare loved anachronisms, so it's cool.”
Actor Jonah Drake explained the difference between seeing Macbeth performed onstage and simply reading the play.
“You're really meant to sort of hear it,” said Drake. “You're really sort of meant to be in the room with it being performed at you because then you sort of get it. It suddenly clicks into place, and you can see it in its context, and you can see it brimming with an emotionality.”
When discussing the plot, Isaacs emphasized that the play is a tragedy that follows Macbeth's descent into madness.
“It's about the fall of a great person,” said Isaacs. “Macbeth and Banquo, they're the captains in the military. They're returning from battle, and they encounter these three mysterious witches, the three weird sisters in the forest, who are cryptic, but all they say is that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and will be king and that Banquo's children will be kings after.”
Drake also noted the important role of Lady Macbeth, played by Lisa Spence, as a driving force in the story.
“There is a love story in there between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It really is their play,” said Drake. “And so, when Macbeth returns home and tells Lady of these plans and this prophecy that has been bestowed upon him, she's really the one that pushes him to continue in this.”
Queen City Shakespeare Company was founded in 2025 to perform both classical Shakespeare productions and contemporary works.
For more information about the show and ticket prices, visit qcshakespeare.org.
