Question 1

What makes this production of Macbeth different?

Accepted Answer

Our version reimagines the Scottish tragedy through a modern, Southern-Gothic lens—where porch lights replace torches, gospel echoes replace chants, and ambition seeps like whiskey through the soil. It’s Shakespeare’s language, but our world.

Question 2

Are you using the full Shakespeare text?

Accepted Answer

Not quite. We’ve trimmed and adapted the text to focus on the psychological unraveling at the heart of the story. What remains is the poetry and the pulse—the words that sting and the silences that haunt.

Question 3

When and where is this version of Macbeth set

Accepted Answer

Nowhere and everywhere. This production exists outside of time. It draws fragments from different eras: the past whispers through the present, and the future bleeds into memory. The world you’ll see onstage isn’t historical or modern; it’s psychological. It’s the inside of Macbeth’s mind.

Question 4

What inspired the design?

Accepted Answer

The world is built like a memory collage: pieces of the familiar stitched into something strange. You might see hints of the past—vintage fabrics, flickering bulbs—but nothing belongs to a single era. It’s a visual echo chamber, where time folds in on itself just as Macbeth’s sanity does.

Macbeth: A Southern Tragedy

Overview

Good to know

Location

How do you want to get there?

Frequently asked questions

Organized by

The William Shakespeare Theatre Company @ JHU

Related to this event