Young actors from The City of Liverpool College will be taking over the atmospheric St Luke’s Bombed Out Church later this month with a performance of Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, Macbeth.
First year Level 3 Acting students will be performing at the two-day production of Shakespeare’s story of power struggles and vaulting ambition on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th of April.
Macbeth, also known as The Scottish Play, is one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most powerful works. Set in Scotland, the play portrays the tragic effects of one man choosing evil to fulfil his own ambition for power.
The play tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth, played by Jay Blower, who receives a prophecy from three witches that one day he will become King of Scotland.
Consumed by ambition and encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth (Eden Roberts), Macbeth takes drastic measures to take over the throne before a civil war leads them into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death.
Over the course of many centuries, the character of Macbeth has attracted some of the world’s most renowned actors, including Ian McKellen, Denzel Washington, and James McAvoy. It has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, books, and other media.
Ian McKellen, said:
“Macbeth is now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday – now. If you trust Shakespeare and if you’ve got good actors and a good director, it will seem now.”
Programme Leader for BA Performing Arts, Paul Carmichael, who has worked closely with the students in developing the tragedy, said:
“We have a very talented cast giving some compelling performances and it is sure to be an entertaining evening. Many wish to pursue a career in drama, so it has been extremely valuable for them to have experienced a real professional theatre environment.
“Macbeth is a challenging piece of text and our primary aim was to make it more accessible to our students through performance. It has been a pleasure to direct such a diverse range of talent and to see their confidence truly grow.”
Eden Roberts, Level 3 student playing the role of Lady Macbeth, said:“It has been such an honour not only to be cast in this production, but to have been given the chance to play such a powerful and significant role so early into my performing journey.
“Playing such a demanding role as Lady Macbeth in such an iconic Liverpool location has pushed me to realms I wasn’t sure I was capable of, and opened my eyes to new and exciting opportunities. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to put my own spin on a role as iconic as this one.”
Macbeth will be performed on the 26th–27th April at Liverpool’s iconic St Luke’s Bombed Out Church on Leece Street, with both performances starting at 7pm. Ticket prices range from £1 for students, £3 for concessions and £5 for adults and can be purchased here