Oklahoma City University’s TheatreOCU will be the sole American partner in the World Theatre Education Alliance’s (WTEA) International Theatre Festival this year. Director Lance Marsh provided information about the festival and the play he is directing for submission. Marsh explained that the WTEA conference is typically held in Beijing, yet has moved to a virtual format this year. Participating theatrical programs have been asked to submit a film production no longer than 50 minutes that is focused on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The WTEA organization includes fifteen participating theatre training programs, representing 14 different countries. In addition to Director Lance Marsh, major creative contributors with TheatreOCU include the composer of the original score Ben Rosfeld and lighting designer Preston Hunt.
Marsh described the unique approach TheatreOCU has taken to this assignment. “Rather than mount a highly edited linear version of Macbeth, I have opted to adapt the play to focus on Lady Macbeth‘s through-line and her nightmarish sleep-walking scene. With very few exceptions, every word in this play is from Shakespeare’s text, although often radically reimagined and often reassigned with an eye to uncovering and exploring Lady Macbeth’s inner life and the corrosive effects of guilt on relationships and individuals.” Marsh described the production’s original score, which was created by OCU graduate student Ben Rosfeld, as “something like a horror movie played live,” Marsh explained.
In this new take on a Shakespearean classic, BFA Acting Senior Madison Polozola will play the role of Lady Macbeth. Polozola described this particular production as an experience different from her previous OCU shows, and an opportunity that has been both challenging and fulfilling. When asked what made Polozola want to participate in this production, Polozola stated “Shakespeare created so many incredible female characters during his career and being able to dive more into Lady Macbeth’s individual story and give her the microphone has been very exciting. I can’t wait for people who are fans of the play all ready to see this story in such a different light!”
Polozola also described extensive research and preparation for the role, including studying Macbeth in its entirety for context and watching interviews and movies which shed light on themes of the play. “Lady Macbeth is such an iconic and historic role, and there’s always that worry that you won’t be able to ‘live up to the hype!’. But, I really just wanted to make sure that I was bringing myself to the character and focused on giving her all my love,” Polozola stated. The role of Macbeth in this play will be performed by Karam Alkhatib. Polozola noted how much work the duo have done together to limit the villainous perception of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, stating “[Karam and I have] been working to create two very special people together, and really focusing on their humanity and love.” This further differentiates TheatreOCU’s production from the original work and demonstrates the production’s unique nature and approach.
The production will be filmed by students and faculty in the OCU Mass Communications department on Oct. 9th and will be streamed with the WTEA festival on the weekend of Oct. 29th. Marsh explained that creating a play that will be put onto film has been a unique challenge. She further explained that the mediums of film and live performance do not always complement each other. However, in spite of this tricky challenge, Marsh described the rewarding parts of this experience, saying “Working with this talented group of student actors working in such an unusual fashion has been greatly rewarding. Seeing our collective, weird ideas take shape in the rehearsal room has been incredibly rewarding.”
The production’s rehearsals have been taking COVID-19 mitigation protocols seriously. “We have been working in masks through the whole rehearsal process, and cast, crew, and designers have been taking multiple rounds of rapid COVID testing throughout the process. Also, Theatre students are required to be vaccinated (or get a waiver) in order to perform this year, so we are taking safety very seriously,” Marsh stated. The virtual format of the festival was a result of COVID-19 mitigation needs.
This performance is sure to be a unique experience for those familiar with Shakespeare’s work, as well as those who may not know the original plot. The time and hard work of so many individuals have created an original work for contribution and viewing on an international platform. Polozola expressed her excitement for this festival experience, saying “I’m just completely humbled and excited to share this work internationally and be able to reach all different sorts of artists from all over the world and see what they have been working on too!”
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