The National Theatre’s production of Macbeth which played in the Dorfman theatre earlier this year is to visit schools in Sunderland as part of a tour to 31 schools and colleges across Doncaster, London and Wakefield as well as Sunderland.
The production will be performed in Sunderland College on Monday 6 (1 performance) and Tuesday 7 November (2 performances) where it will be seen by students from Sunderland College, St Aidan's Catholic Academy and Farringdon Community Academy. On Wednesday 8 it will play at Academy 360, the former Pennywell Comprehensive.
Macbeth is adapted and directed for teenage audiences by Justin Audibert. The production is a contemporary retelling of one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays. Amid bloody rebellion and the deafening drums of war, Macbeth and his wife will stop at nothing to fulfil their ambition. Witchcraft, murder, treason and treachery are all at play in this murky world.
The cast includes Nana Amoo-Gottfried, Shazia Nicholls, Gabby Wong, Stephanie Levi John, Adrian Richards, Tamara Camacho, Johndeep More and Kenton Thomas. The assistant director is North East actor and director Ruth Johnson who most recently directed New Writing North’s children’s theatre tour Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo.
Alice King-Farlow, the NT’s Director of Learning, said, “at the NT, we believe that all young people should have the opportunity to take part in theatre and drama while at school and so I am delighted that we’re touring Justin’s contemporary 90-minute adaptation of Macbeth to schools across London and in the North of England this year as part of our new national partnership programme.”
Justin Audibert added, “Macbeth is a tale of ambition, dark magic, violence and love: the perfect combination for an audience of young adults. We have made our version as exciting and visceral as possible, a truly sensory experience.”