In a nearly sold-out two-weekend run, the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Department’s “Macbeth” came to the stage from Feb. 22-25, and Feb. 29-March 3.
Working diligently over the past few months, both the actors and members of the stage crew created a show that met and overcame every expectation that guest director and Shakespeare expert Lisa Wolpe had.
Early in the morning after opening night, Wolpe had to get on a plane back to California, but was very happy with how the show turned out.
“The cast has been rewarded with several standing ovations,” Wolpe said.
Within the show’s program, Wolpe made mention of the violent and creepy nature of the performance. The play was filled with supernatural events, murder, the horrors of human ambition and greed, she said. While the play itself detailed the tale of some of the worst people depicted in all of Shakepeare’s works, the cast was able to turn it into a beautiful and poetic performance.
With a seating capacity of 250, URI’s J Studio was almost completely packed for every night of the show. Seats were filled on all three sides of the immersive black-box style theater, allowing parts of the audience to actually sit higher than the actors were.
The leading role of Macbeth was played by first-year student Isaiah Agabi and the female lead was played by second-year student Abraphine Ngafaih. The cast showed a diverse range of both years and majors.
After rehearsing for long and late hours, the cast and crew were able to finish the almost two-hour long production and finally be ready to perform for a live audience, Wolpe said.
Stage director Erin Grafing said that the benefit of having a live audience was huge for the actors.
“Giving them reactions to play off just took the show to a whole new level,” Grafing said.
The live audience was not only a benefit for the actors, Grafing said. For the members of the crew who work behind the scenes, it’s an opportunity to showcase their hard work and dedication that has gone into every aspect of the show.
J Studio was completely transformed into a medieval castle that seemed straight out of an apocalypse for the performances. With a crew of well over 50 members mentioned in the program, they had all-hands-on-deck when constructing the 30-foot-tall arch and main platform with a crawl space underneath.
“So much work has gone into this production since day one,” Grafing said.
The team was composed of both professionals and students working together to create the sound, lights, costumes and set for the show. Members of the Theatre 100 class worked on painting and building the set, while the Theatre 250 class worked on constructing the costumes.
The next and final show for URI’s theatre season will be “Little Shop of Horrors” which opens on April 18. The cast has already been announced and rehearsals are underway. Wolpe says that having the two shows overlap can be challenging, but the cast of “Macbeth” juggled their responsibilities well.
For more information about “Macbeth”, or to see the completed program, visit web.uri.edu/theatre/ or follow the theatre department on Instagram @uritheatre.