Macbeth - but not as you know it...

"1918 - war has been raging for four years and Macbeth is beginning to unravel. In the horror of war, the dead hath murdered his sleep. The guns have taken his peace and ravaged his mind.  The lines between reality and fantasy are becoming blurred.  He's lost faith in the absolutes of good and evil.  When he leaves the Western Front madness will follow him home"

And so the scene is set for the King's School production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Shakespeare used his plays to explore the social and political views fo the people and so this is the main sentiment that English Teacher and Macbeth Producer and Director Miss Harriet Hughes, started with.  With the centenary of WW1 this year, it seemed a fitting opportunity to explore and commemorate those soldiers who came back from war after experiencing terrible traumas, only to continue to face the stigma of mental illness.  Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through flashbacks and nightmares, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt and so the King's version of Macbeth reflects this through Shakespeare's words, allowing the audience to decide whether to award sympathy to Macbeth, or blame him for his decisions.

We are very lucky at King's to have such an array of beautiful and haunting spaces.  With many past students of the School being involved in The Great War, it seemed fitting to explore the story in the grounds of the School; walking the same footsteps as they did all those years ago and so the story unfolds as the cast and audience moved around the School, exploring different spaces.

The students worked tirelessly to portray Macbeth's story and empathised well with their own characters.  There were three casts in the play, so as well as moving around the School, this added an extra directorial challenge. 

With passionate performances, stunning scenes and original artistic and creative direction, the King's School production of Macbeth was truly outstanding - a massive WELL DONE to all involved.