Curses. Not loud, but deep.

There is a long held belief that this play is cursed.  There are lots of facts to back this up.  (Like people dying whilst working on it). You can google it.  I've had some bad things happen while working on different productions of Macbeth.  But I don't really believe that they are related to any sort of curse.  I think the real curse of this show is that it is really hard to stage and play convincingly. 

Like The Tempest, Mackers is filled with magic and supernatural happenings that test the mettle of those who make plays.  And like The Tempest, which we did a couple of years ago at SBTS, we have the good fortune of having Stephanie Coltrin directing.  For those that don't know her, and don't follow my blogs closely, Steph is literally the artistic yin to my yang.  We have the same aesthetic, but approach it from different angles that just seem to compliment one another.  The greatest artistic successes I've had as an actor were in plays that she directed.  Every show I've directed in the last decade, she has come in and made better.  And I like to think that I add equal value to her endeavors.  Recently, I was lucky enough to go into her "Sylvia" rehearsals at the Rubicon as a fight director and bring the physicality to life.  We got each other, is what I'm saying.  And I'm so grateful that she came to SBTS some 8 years ago.  I have no idea how many times we've worked together since then.  I jokingly told her that we needed to do 100 shows together after our first (Julius Caesar).  But I fear that we may be closing in on that number, so I would like to stretch that number to whatever number comes before infinity. 

We opened this past weekend.  We lost an actor (which makes it an official SBTS season).  We persevered and crushed it.  This has been a very different process than in years past.  With a shorter rehearsal time and fewer actors, we have had to bring it every night.  Everybody is exhausted.  There have been tears, and fears, and insecurities brought to light.  But we have wiped them, assuaged them, and overcome them to the best of our abilities. 

I'm really proud of this production.  I think that Steph has solved a lot of the problems with this play, and our amazing cast has solved others.  I love doing it.  I love working with Melissa as my Lady M.  I love having my sweet Olivia kicking ass as Banquo.  I really love getting to watch BJ crush a role that I just played (Macduff) in a totally different way.  I love the witches, and the Thanes, and Andy as the Porter.  I simply love.   I am just filled with love.  This role gets inside a person.  This play does.  All the self-doubt...  All the noise about how impossible this role/play are...  All the baggage I've been carrying around for 15 years...none of it matters anymore.  We are in this moment.  Together.  And it's not a curse.  It is truly a blessing.  And I am truly blessed to have this chance to do this thing called Macbeth.  I hope you come along for the bloody ride.