Experience Macbeth by candlelight at Shakespeare North Playhouse this autumn

Shakespeare North Playhouse will hope it’s not ‘out, out brief candle!’ when it stages a special production of Macbeth this autumn.

The Prescot theatre is set to present Macbeth by candlelight from September 11 to October 3.

And it is promising each performance will be unique with the cast and creative team inspired by Elizabethan theatre techniques.

Macbeth will be directed by Shakespeare North associate artist Ben Crystal who will also act as ‘curator and co-facilitator’, working alongside associate director and co-facilitator Andrew Codispoti.

Crystal, who is author of Shakespeare on Toast and Springboard Shakespeare, says: “It's an honour to be directing Macbeth at Shakespeare North Playhouse. We’ll use candlelight to build an enchanting and haunting atmosphere.

“We’ll rehearse using my "quick-raise" approach, inspired by Elizabethan theatre techniques. We'll learn the stagecraft of this incredible theatre, which will allow us to improvise our blocking - so the show will be played slightly differently every night.”

Crystal and Codispoti will also perform as part of the ensemble of players which was selected after an open casting call with workshop auditions at LIPA.

The actors will work from cue-scripts which will only feature their own character’s lines and cues of when to speak, enter, and exit.

Meanwhile music will be improvised and performed live by Semay Wu (Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, New String Collective) in a production that is billed as “one musician, 10 storytellers, 50 candles and 90 breathless minutes.”

Shakespeare North Playhouse Chief Executive Lisa Allen says: “We're delighted to welcome our associate artist Ben Crystal back to Shakespeare North to curate a uniquely atmospheric reimagining of Macbeth.

“Working collaboratively with our talented ensemble, Ben’s ‘quick raise’ approach draws on the traditional techniques of Shakespearean performance to bring this powerful tragedy to life in just a matter of weeks.

“We look forward to welcoming audiences from across the region and beyond to experience a truly distinctive production, one they won’t see anywhere else.”

Macbeth by candlelight is at Shakespeare North Playhouse from September 11 to October 3. Tickets HERE