Recently, we were lucky enough to see a performance of Macbeth, the famous Shakespearian tragedy that LIV are studying , by Quantum Theatre.
I found the show very interesting and I thought it was acted out very well. The actors were very convincing and they made the story feel extremely alive. They had loud, confident voices and exceptional acting skills, topped up with perfect, detailed costumes and props. I also liked how they based the whole play using just a small stage and two wooden doors.
As mentioned, all the actors were remarkable, but my favourite was the actress who played Lady Macbeth. Throughout the show, she displayed the exact personality and tone Lady Macbeth is believed to have had. She emphasised her duplicity very precisely, especially in the scene where Lady Macbeth scorns Macbeth of acting scared during the dinner with the Thanes and Nobles, when Macbeth sees the Ghost of Banquo sitting in his seat at the banquet but no one else can. This was probably my favourite scene because of how it was acted out and how it shows a real, negative turning point for Macbeth, because now his foolish fear has been seen by all the Thanes and Nobles. Lady Macbeth is also infuriated with him, which highlights their relationship and how Lady Macbeth takes leadership over her husband and his actions – a shocking thing for the Jacobean audience to see given they all followed The Great Chain of Being, which stated that women were below men.
The Witches were also played very well, with their cackling voices and long cloaks!
In conclusion, I really loved the performance we saw as it was extremely captivating and it summarised Macbeth really accurately, helping us all consolidate our knowledge and understanding of the play!
Thank you Quantum Theatre!
Flavia Spence, LIV
Today, our year, LIV were lucky enough to have the Quantum Theatre visit our school and perform a highly entertaining show of Macbeth.
At 2:30 prompt, we all hurried down to the hall to get the best seats possible. When we entered the hall, we were taken by surprise as the hall had been transformed into a theatre! Two big spotlights beamed down onto the floor and a spooky grey backdrop stood on the stage. Once we had all settled down, the show began. We were firstly greeted by the three Weird Sisters and before we knew it the show was in full swing! The stage affects were amazing, with colour changing spotlights to creepy sound effects, it was like a real theatre! I really liked the way the actors went off stage to do some of the more complicated scenes, where we then saw the shadows of the scene projected onto the grey curtain. It kept us all entertained! We were all on the edge of our seats, especially the scene where Macduff kills Macbeth! They finished off the show with bows, and in return we gave them a huge round of applause. I would like to thank Quantum Theatre for coming to our school today and I would also like to thank the teachers for organising this event as sometimes Shakespeare can be a bit confusing but this definitely helped to clarify and clear up any confusions we had with Macbeth!
Thea Bell, LIV
