Just a week away!

MACBETH rehearsal process is moving right along. The first run-through of the entire play happened at last night's rehearsal - and the first performance is a week from today.

Hope you enjoy some of these pictures taken throughout rehearsals!

 Blaze as Malcolm

 King Duncan with soldier (Neil, Vinny, Mikey)

Allison as Lady Macbeth

Ross (Hardy) and Macduff (Matt)

Have you seen our STUDY GUIDE?

It's pretty awesome, if we do say so ourselves. And it's available NOW to all schools participating in our YOUNG COMPANY program!

Inside you'll find tons of information on Shakepeare's life and theater, fun facts on MACBETH, great follow-up activities to do with your classes, and beautiful illustrations by David Heatley (including the cover image below.)

Teachers, you can download it from our website here: www.classicstage.org/education/schoolprograms/13_studyguide/. Contact our Education Manager, Kathleen Dorman, at kathleen.dorman@classicstage.org for the password. 

We'll be sharing a page here and there on our blog in the upcoming weeks - we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting to together for you! 

Meet our first CSC NextGen Correspondent, Christina!

Name: Christina 

Grade: 12

Hobbies/Interests: I love reading, creative writing, acting, and make-up.

What aspects of theatre are you most interested in? I enjoy how real live theatre is, there are no “do-overs”.

What parts of the MACBETH rehearsal process are you most interested in telling other students about? How modern the play is compared to what some may think. Some people think Shakespeare is really boring, but the way Tony, the director, wants to portray it will be so much more interesting. 

Christina has the opportunity to observe the first rehearsal of MACBETH. Read her thoughts below!

Christina at a recent workshop, directing several of her classmates in a scene.

So to start off it was great! THE YOUNG COMPANY began their first MACBETH rehearsal by doing a bunch of warm-ups. The exercises were some kind of hilarious "yoga-sing-song/look at me while I move my hips like Elvis and make noise" type of thing. It's like a different language that only they understand. There was one girl, one of the witches, who was super flexible. She reminded me of Foxface from Hunger Games. It was so much of a workout that they were sweating and the room was freezing  It was super interesting to observe this process in its beginning stages...so excited to see the performance!

The cast is one talented group of actors. It blew me away that on the first night of rehearsal everyone was off book, meaning all of their lines were already memorized. As they did a dry run through of the entire piece they were able to play with the action. They were fighting each other in slow motion, which was super cool and funny. One actor came out with a little girl's scooter. They were able to use whatever props they had on hand because nothing was set in stone. Everyone was laughing since it was so unexpected and hilarious!

Today they talked about the design presentation for MACBETH. But to start, Tony Speciale, the director, answered some questions from the NextGen students. He really has a way with words. I'm pretty sure that is a trait a director needs to have, but the way he expresses himself is impeccable  I got a little shout-out which was pretty cool! Next, they talked about the set. I don't want to ruin the show for anyone, but you are in for a huge surprise! The costumes are going to be amazing. For sound, they are writing original songs/compositions. I wish I could explain to you how excited the cast became learning about the sound, set, costumes, and all other ideas for the play. Everyone is making the most out of this experience!

What's New with the Young Company?

Macbeth

The Young Company rehearsals and in-school teaching workshops are well underway, and luckily, we have the inside scoop for you on all things Macbeth. How so you ask? With members of Classic Stage Company's NextGen!

CSC's NextGen

Our brand new program for teens, NextGen, gives motivated students who are passionate about the theatre a stepping-stone to further engage with CSC and with the greater world of professional theatre. Members have the opportunity to see performances, meet CSC artists, go behind the scenes of CSC productions, learn new skills in the theatre, plan and lead special events for their peers, and contribute to CSC’s social media outlets.

NextGen members are excited to bring you a diversified and comprehensive look into all aspects of the production. Readers can anticipate highlights in the rehearsal process; interviews with cast members, artists, and production team members; photo and video footage, and more. This dynamic group of teens is engaging with the Young Company every step of the way; be sure to come along for the ride!

The Study Guide

Last but not least, the long awaited STUDY GUIDE is here! Our gorgeous new study guide features the work of illustrator David Heatley, behind-the-scenes info on our production, post-workshop lesson plans for teachers, and more! While only those schools participating in our program have exclusive access to our study guide, we'll be giving you a sneak-peek of some of David's work here on our blog, beginning with the cover illustration.