Macbeth

Context & Significance

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a cornerstone of the classical canon. With its bloody exploration of boundless ambition and the allure of its supernatural elements, the play is in frequent rotation at theaters worldwide. Because it is so iconic, there’s a familiarity that can numb audiences to its deeper resonances. In this 2024 production for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, I sought to reintroduce the work by utilizing an immersive design and a muscular movement style.

The world of our Macbeth was fractured—neither past nor present but a speculative, shifting now. Critic Nancy Steele Brokaw described the production as “gorgeous, electrifying and easy to follow… all shadows, storms, and darkness.” That aesthetic was essential to the question I was interested in interrogating: what becomes of a world when ambition corrupts its leaders?

My Role & Artistic Contribution

From the start, I invited my designers to approach the work with fresh eyes. I wanted to subvert any expectation the audience might have coming in. I sought to reimagine how the supernatural elements could be rendered and how the space could be utilized to make the production feel immersive. The result was an inspired design that underscored the sensory world of the play. Beautifully textured costumes, detailed scenic elements and luscious lighting enhanced the psychological devolution of the titular character.

My work with longtime collaborator Nate Brown (composer/sound designer) was central to the production’s immersive quality. Together, we developed an original score that punctuated every scene with supernatural elements, fusing ritual, rhythm, and abstraction. The Pantagraph praised the score as “a singular and riveting soundscape—pinpointed to the millisecond.”

Movement and choreography were crucial in evoking the production’s psychological fragmentation. Inspired by Butoh, a Japanese dance theater form, and exercises from the Grotowski method, we built an exciting physical vocabulary for the witches. I threaded their presence throughout the play, allowing the movement work to infiltrate the ensemble, infecting gesture, breath, and physical tempo.

While the production experienced a number of unexpected pivots, including a surprise pregnancy, a last-minute actor replacement, and an interrupted tech process, my cast of actors rose to the challenge of actualizing our vision. In our rehearsals, I prioritized table work, diving into text analysis and dramaturgy and worked to lead a liberatory process that felt empowering for the actors.

Reception & Impact

The production was praised for its aesthetic clarity and conceptual boldness. Brokaw noted that “Allen’s compelling vision permeates every corner,” citing the innovative use of space and the clarity of the text. Sold out houses responded to the sensory immersion, with many naming the sound and lighting design as unforgettable entry points into the work.

Why This Work is Significant in My Portfolio

Macbeth represents a peak integration of my work across disciplines—direction, sound, visual design, movement, and textual analysis. It exemplifies my mission to banish “museum piece theater,” allowing the work to speak to the present.

This production deepened my collaboration with Nate Brown and solidified my belief in long-term artistic partnerships as key to bolder innovation. While pedagogy wasn’t its focus, the presence of community youth actors in key roles reminded me of the dual responsibility of directing: to create compelling work, and cultivate the next generation of theatrical risk-takers.