Macbeth - the Making of a Murderer

Our first ever production premiered at Cafeteatret in Oslo 7th November 2012 with a short run, followed by an Art House tour in October 2013, including Ås Kulturhus, Drammens Teater, Ælvespeilet, Rådhusteatret in Ski and Blå Grotte in Fredrikstad. The production saw its final curtain call at Vinterlysfestivalen, Nordland Teater February 2014.

Violent and physical, stripped down to just three actors, a massive, three headed puppet and the very bones of the text, we explored the darker side of man in attempting to expose «the face of evil». How does a man go from being a well respected and good natured citizen to a remorseless mass murderer?

In Macbeth, Shakespeare takes us from the tragic to the comic, from the blood, bones and gristle of the battlefield, to the petty pace of domestic life, exploring on the way the undercurrents of human relationships and our potential for “murder most foul…”

Weary from years on the battlefield, Macbeth returns home to his loving wife as a conquering hero. But Lady Macbeth is bored and childless, and her husband is hungry for power. Their domestic bliss is short-lived. Wouldn’t life be much more fun if they were King and Queen of Scotland? All that stands between them and their vaulting ambitions is just a few moral scruples and a king that is very much alive!

From the earliest beginnings of human “civilization”, chosen men have ”turned the world on fire as long as they can own the ashes”. Is there no escape from this labyrinth of contradiction in which we exist? Macbeth is one such “chosen” among mankind. I say chosen, because contrary to general belief, man is not top predator on this earth. Witches, in the service of higher powers, begin Macbeth’s quest. The road to perdition is a bewitching road. That is why people stay on it!

Alfredo Michelsen, 2012

Producer and script-adaptation: Elisabeth Dahl

Director: Alfredo Michelsen

Cast: Brage Bang, Elisabeth Dahl and Sveinung Oppegaard

Original music: Terje Evensen

Scenography: Vanja & Richard Jordan

Light Design: Line Beate Svestad

Funded by Fond for utøvende kunstnere and NSF Fond for frilansere, and with the support of Skuespillersenteret and Gamlebyen Skatepark