World premiere of immersive digital Macbeth headlines the Belfast International Arts Festival
Harriet Clifford
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
From 14 to 17 October, an immersive digital production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth will be performed live on screen as part of the 58th edition of the Belfast International Arts Festival (BIAF).
Created especially for lockdown by Big Telly Theatre Company’s founder Zoë Seaton, the play will have a four night online run before transferring to Creation Theatre’s platform as a co-production until 31 October. A midnight show will be performed on 30 October, the night before All Hallow’s Eve.
Having already directed four lockdown productions since April 2020, Zoe Seaton hopes to create a heightened sense of suspense and tension for this production, which features a soundtrack composed by Garth McConaghie and a five-strong cast.
Zoë Seaton, who also directed critically-acclaimed The Tempest - Live, says, ‘The show is going to be loaded with technology aimed at playing tricks on the mind, eyes and ears of the spectator. I want them to feel privy to every dilemma and dark corner of this classic text but we also want to be playful and have fun with the characteristics of digital theatre - garbled audio, inexplicable dropouts, fake locations, special effects – the unpredictability of the internet – exactly what is live and what is not.’
The five members of the cast are Nicky Harley, Lucia McAnespie, Dennis Herdman, Aonghus Og and Dharmesh Patel.
Tickets are priced at £20 per device and the performance is suitable for ages 14+. The online performance at the BIAF takes place Wednesday to Saturday at 7pm (Friday and Saturday additional 9.30pm show) from 14-17 October. From 17-31 October, Macbeth will be online at Creation Theatre.
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