Theatre superstition in "Macbeth"

"The Scottish Play" continues in Lab School 101,

April 7 and 8

By Morgan Steger
The Collegian

THERE ARE TWO words one should never say lightly in a theatre, “fire” and “Macbeth.”

The first will cause a riotous surge for the door and the second invites disaster for any production of Shakespeare’s celebrated occult tragedy.

Those who are forbidden, by both tradition and superstition, to utter the word Macbeth outside of an actual performance are usually only those involved in a production of the play, said Elliott Montgomery, who is directing Fresno State’s Experimental Theatre Company’s spring production of Macbeth.

So far, no misfortune has befallen the company’s version of the “Scottish Play,” as “Macbeth” is safely called, he said.

The production represents Montgomery’s first turn as a director for the ETC, which is run entirely by students, with faculty advice. Montgomery, a senior theatre major, presented his version of “Macbeth” to the company’s six-member student board and faculty advisers in January and has been working at a feverish pace ever since to prepare for the play’s April opening, he said.

While remaining faithful to Shakespeare’s words, Montgomery has wielded his director’s sword to cut out one fourth of the play’s original length. “I believe that the best theatre takes an hour,” he said.

Montgomery’s pared down version of “Macbeth” was what appealed to the ETC board, said chairman Matthew Ragan. “Elliott’s cut is like a highlights reel of ‘Macbeth,’” he said. “It’s almost like a group of students in a dormitory performed a CliffsNotes version of ‘Macbeth.’”

Montogmery’s eleven-person cast will play multiple roles, some up to five characters, fitting with his minimalist vision of the play.

The production is not about realism as much as it is about making broad stylistic choices and entertaining the audience, he said. Montgomery has chosen to direct the piece in a way that respects and plays to the intelligence of the audience, he said.

“It’s a children’s show for adults,” he said.

Though the show is not for children, Montgomery explained that he used them as a model for his production because children expect to be entertained but, at the same time, don’t want to be talked down to or underestimated. “Children require clarity of action and spectacle,” he said.

Montgomery plans to deliver a spectacle to his audience through his actors’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s words, not through a flashy or elaborate set. The play is not set in any specific time or place, actors will be wearing costumes they scored from thrift shops, all the interchangeable props are constructed from PVC pipe and sound effects will be provided by actors standing offstage, he said. “I’m trying to remove those trappings so we can just get to the story,” he said.

Though “Macbeth” is a tragedy, Montgomery has drawn out fantastic action sequences and has even managed to inject a sense of dark humor into the production, Ragan said. By inviting the audience to laugh and have a good time, Ragan said the self-evaluation many audience members engage in after seeing a tragedy will be intensified.

Part of the challenge of an ETC production is keeping within the $800 budget students have to put on a show, Ragan said. For every student involved in the play, from director to actors to set designer, the experience is a crash course in balancing all the intricate details necessary to pull off a memorable performance, he said. “It’s a marvelous opportunity for students to get a chance to dabble in what it is to put on a show,” he said.

The Experimental Theatre Company’s production of “Macbeth” will play April 7 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and April 8 at 2 p.m. at Fresno State’s Lab School Theatre. Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at the Theatre Department box office.

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