'Macbeth' performed free for Weber students

On Halloween night, Weber State University students received free tickets to attend the theater department's production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Though the play is performed year-round, the plot suits the Halloween season by including supernatural experiences such as ghosts and witches. Some audience members attempted to get in on the evening's atmosphere by dressing up in costumes themselves. There were several wigs and witch hats to be seen in the crowd. "There was a lady in a bright orange wig and a tall witch hat right in front of me," said Matt Bentley, a WSU sophomore. "It was fun and cool, but kind of distracting when I was trying to watch the show." The stage consisted of a single set piece with only lighting and special effects to indicate different settings. Actors had to create a world from basic walls and invite the audience into the story. The setting of the play is feudal Scotland. Macbeth is a man of great power and in great favor of the king. When Macbeth meets witches who prophesy of his becoming king, he collaborates with his wife to murder the king and fulfill his destiny. His triumph, however, is soured by guilt and fear, and his mind becomes poisoned by more of the witches' prophecies. Macbeth's years as king have a bloody beginning and a bloody end. "The actors performed in a way that was easier for the audience to understand," Bentley said. "And I liked the percussionist. Sometimes I'd watch him instead of the show, it was a good effect." "They're a people at war," Catherine Zublin said. Zublin, who works with costuming for the production, explained how the costume crew wanted to use camouflage to create the distinct feeling of being at war but without looking too familiar on stage. "At first we talked about making our own [camouflage print]," Zublin said with a grin, knowing how large of a project that would have been. "Eventually we found an old German camouflage we liked that wouldn't be recognized." The costume crew finished up by covering the fabric with paint hand-prints, making an original print that would pass for the warlords of Scotland. Director Tracy Callahan selected Macbeth after being invited to present a Shakespearian production in Washington, DC. WSU was one of only six schools in the nation to be selected for the event to be held in the district's John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Callahan had to cut the script to shorter than one hour for the presentation. It was a bit of a family affair with the director's husband, Joe Crnich cast as the title character of Macbeth and their son Cal as young Macduff. Duncan, played by Larry Dooly, a WSU theatre instructor, was the only other role not played by Weber State University students. The show is continuing through this weekend, playing tonight and tomorrow, Nov. 4. Tickets are available in the Browning Center one hour before each 7:30 showing at the box office.

To contact reporter Heidi LeBaron call 626-7105.