Nestled in the heart of the historic grounds of the St Paul's Walden Bury Estate, join The Living Theatre as they immerse you into the battle hardened world of the classic tragedy of Macbeth. Among the canvas tents and fire pits of a medieval war camp, fate takes centre stage as the ever-present witches bend events to their will and ask, “are your choices really your own to make?” With barricades enhancing the Theatre's unique enclosed architecture, you will join Macbeth in his claustrophobic descent into madness.
Created collaboratively by the company Stephanie Booth (Director - Twelfth Night, Living Theatre) Emma Fisher (Creative Producer/Director - Never Get to Heaven in an Empty, Shell Seven Dials Playhouse) James Schofield (Producer/ Actor - The Courier) Kelsey Duffy ( Producer - HELD BFI funded short film) and Max Dinnen (Performer - The Inheritance, Noel Coward Theatre).
We sat down with directors Stephanie Booth and Emma Fisher to learn more.
What can you tell me about this production of Macbeth?
Steph: For this production we really wanted to change the perception of the Witches and look into the idea of fate and predestination. Often these characters are portrayed in a stereotypical sense which the text does lend itself to, however we wanted to look at this from a modern perspective and consider these women as the fates, giving them power over the course of history and allowing them to be seen as more than just evil or a negative influence. In our production they are instruments of the universe who ensure that Macbeth follows the path set out for him in order to continue history on its correct path.
What made you want to choose Macbeth?
Steph: As an outdoor space that produces shows in the summer we have often focused on comedy productions or shows with lighter themes as this is something we know our audiences want to experience on a sunny summer evening with a glass of wine. This year we wanted to challenge ourselves and explore darker stories while still connecting to our space and giving our audiences a unique experience they won’t find in other theatre venues. Macbeth seemed to be the obvious choice for this; it’s a very accessible story and one of the most studied and quoted Shakespeare plays but still lends itself to outdoor performance. From a directing perspective it is an amazing challenge to take on something so well known and find unique points of view and new ways to tell the story.
The show will be staged at The Living Theatre, what can you tell me about the venue?
Steph: The Living Theatre is a multidisciplinary arts space in the heart of the Hertfordshire countryside. We are based on the St Pauls Walden estate and our aims are to ensure that people in our community and beyond have access to the arts and to nature in order to improve their cultural and mental wellbeing. We are relatively new but with the help of our core team, trustees and volunteers we keep expanding and bringing new events to our space. This year we launched our first ever art trail which audiences will be able to interact with on the way to the theatre; we always say that the walk from the car park to the space is as much a part of the experience as the actual show!
How does the surrounding of The Living Theatre help in your staging?
Emma: Nature is ingrained in all we do and informs the work we produce, for me ensuring that the shows we do feel connected to the natural environment is a massive part of getting people to engage with the theatre.
Steph: I think that such an important part of putting on a play is ensuring that the space in which you mount your production compliments the story you are trying to tell. Sometimes I go to shows that maybe have transferred from a different theatre and I am slightly thrown by the feel of the theatre in contrast to the show I am watching; often you notice this most with intimate shows that are staged in huge theatres where you are miles away from the performers and therefore can’t really connect. It never makes sense to me to try and recreate the feel of a black box theatre in our space, so the starting point of all of our shows is really the theatre itself. We often stand and look at the space and consider how we might use it in a new way that will enhance the story and the experience for the audience. This year we focused on the feeling of claustrophobia, our space is a bit of a fishbowl and so we wanted to close the audience into it when the show starts and our amazing set designer Macy Harrell came up with the barricades that block the outside world from the theatre space within.
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| The production in rehearsals. |
What challenges does working in the open air bring when you’re creating the production?
Steph: Weather! The british weather is famously unpredictable and we are learning every year new ways in which to cope with everything that is thrown at us. Ultimately we have to embrace the rain and the wind and sometimes the fierceness of the sun in order to create something that is enhanced by the weather and doesn't fight against it. The safety of our actors is always the number one priority so sometimes we do have to adjust our plans but on the whole we know that getting rained on while performing a particularly heartfelt scene is part and parcel of outdoor theatre, and can actually be used to help find something new in the performance. When it comes to the actual shows I think there is an unspoken agreement between the actors and the audience that if one is getting wet then the other will buy into the experience and ultimately enjoy it, you can always towel off and have a hot chocolate when you get home!
How do you approach co-directing the piece together?
Steph: We didn’t really discuss beforehand how to approach this which maybe other people would need to do. I think we just naturally work really well together and our directing styles compliment each other. I am very focused on the images created onstage and the flow of the story and Emma often looks at the emotional and connective aspects of the performance. Even if we disagree we understand each other’s perspectives and there has never been a stalemate where we can’t agree on a way forward. Macbeth is such a huge beast of a show that it is so wonderful being able to divide and conquer and then come back together and see it all play out as one piece.
Why do you think this story resonates so strongly with audiences?
Steph: I think the joy of seeing a Shakespearean tragedy is embracing the heightened emotions and the level of the stakes. A lot of modern theatre is naturalistic and focuses on one specific issue whereas Shakespeare immerses you in an epic where every decision is life and death. It is pure entertainment and escapism while still being affecting. The story itself touches on so much; fate, the complexities of marriage, ambition, sacrifice and hubris. These are things that we don't really examine in our own lives and it can sometimes take a show that is so far removed from our reality to explore these things for us to see them in our own stories. A lot of people study this text at school so some of the most iconic lines are squirrelled away in our brains, but I think you can’t really appreciate them until you see them performed in the way they were intended rather than written on the page.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Macbeth?
Steph: Weather! The british weather is famously unpredictable and we are learning every year new ways in which to cope with everything that is thrown at us. Ultimately we have to embrace the rain and the wind and sometimes the fierceness of the sun in order to create something that is enhanced by the weather and doesn't fight against it. The safety of our actors is always the number one priority so sometimes we do have to adjust our plans but on the whole we know that getting rained on while performing a particularly heartfelt scene is part and parcel of outdoor theatre, and can actually be used to help find something new in the performance. When it comes to the actual shows I think there is an unspoken agreement between the actors and the audience that if one is getting wet then the other will buy into the experience and ultimately enjoy it, you can always towel off and have a hot chocolate when you get home!
How do you approach co-directing the piece together?
Steph: We didn’t really discuss beforehand how to approach this which maybe other people would need to do. I think we just naturally work really well together and our directing styles compliment each other. I am very focused on the images created onstage and the flow of the story and Emma often looks at the emotional and connective aspects of the performance. Even if we disagree we understand each other’s perspectives and there has never been a stalemate where we can’t agree on a way forward. Macbeth is such a huge beast of a show that it is so wonderful being able to divide and conquer and then come back together and see it all play out as one piece.
Why do you think this story resonates so strongly with audiences?
Steph: I think the joy of seeing a Shakespearean tragedy is embracing the heightened emotions and the level of the stakes. A lot of modern theatre is naturalistic and focuses on one specific issue whereas Shakespeare immerses you in an epic where every decision is life and death. It is pure entertainment and escapism while still being affecting. The story itself touches on so much; fate, the complexities of marriage, ambition, sacrifice and hubris. These are things that we don't really examine in our own lives and it can sometimes take a show that is so far removed from our reality to explore these things for us to see them in our own stories. A lot of people study this text at school so some of the most iconic lines are squirrelled away in our brains, but I think you can’t really appreciate them until you see them performed in the way they were intended rather than written on the page.
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Macbeth?
Steph: I personally hope that they feel like they have been on an epic journey! I want audiences to feel immersed and entertained and to come out of our space at the end of the play with a renewed love for theatre.
Emma: It sounds very cheesy but I want them to take away a bit of theatre magic. My favourite thing is feeling like I have been transported to a different world for a little while, the secluded nature of the space also adds to this. I love naturalistic theatre but I also think spectacle and wonder are huge parts of why I got into theatre and I want our audience to come away with that.
When did you know you wanted a career in the arts and how did you pursue that career?
Steph: I knew from a really young age that I wanted to work in theatre but I wasn’t sure what form that would take. To be honest I am still not quite sure. I didn’t know anyone in the industry itself so I knew that the drama school route was the one for me. After four years of auditioning I was finally accepted and trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre school and while there met so many incredible and creative people. By connecting with these people I have been able to look into other ways of scratching my creative itch through directing and producing, but while I have done some TV and voiceover work I always come back to theatre. Creative careers aren't linear and while I love acting, being an actor can sometimes be frustrating and demoralising, you have to find other ways to create and find joy and know that there is no age limit on performing so you can always go away and do something else with the knowledge that it will be there when or if you choose to come back. I have personally found an amazing amount of satisfaction from producing and directing at the Living Theatre and this is something that I am now pursuing.
Emma: My love of acting and theatre was the starting point for me, I had always wanted to be an actor and so when I didn’t get into drama school I knew I had to forge my own path. Co-founding The Living Theatre back in 2020 was a huge turing point for me. Not only has it been a place for me to develop and work as an actor but also ignited my love for production and direction. In short, I learnt on the job. Which for me was the best way to grow as a creative.
How do you reflect on your career to date and how has that knowledge helped in staging this production?
Steph: My acting career got off to a bit of a rocky start, only a year or so after graduating everything shut down because of covid and I was dropped by my first agent. Having spent four years trying to get into drama school I mistakenly thought that the hard bit was over and that once I graduated I would get an agent and book a steady stream of work based on the hard work I had put into my training. I felt pretty defeated and frustrated by the reality of life as an actor but it was a text from James (co-creative director of the living theatre) that brought me to this space and that gave me a space where I could help create something that I had ownership of. Knowing, based on my own experience, that there are so many talented people out there who just haven't been given the opportunity to perform, really informed how we run our auditions and the ethos of our theatre. We don’t stipulate that anyone has to have previous acting experience to audition and we love meeting new people and developing skills within our company that those who haven't trained might not have worked on. We make sure that all casting calls are available on at least one platform that actors do not have to pay to access and while our performers are from varied backgrounds and some may never have had a professional credit before, we emphasise and expect a professional level of excellence in our shows.
What keeps you inspired?
Steph: Creative people. If I spend too much time on my own or away from other creatives then I can feel my creative brain shutting down. There is nothing better than being in a rehearsal room and I think it’s because that room will always be filled with incredibly creative people who all have the same goal; to make something amazing. Even if there isn’t a set end goal in mind I think it is so important to just spend time with people that you think have amazing ideas, get a coffee, write something together, do a scratch night, whatever it is it will spark something.
Emma: The space! I have such a deep connection to the theatre and the drive for the Living Theatre to grow and succeed forces me into keeping my creative brain moving. There is always a future project or a concept to be grown and developed and the variety of stuff we produce means there is inspiration to be found everywhere!
Where can people see Macbeth?
Steph: Macbeth is on at The Living Theatre Whitwell every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between the 30th of August and the 15th of September. Tickets are available at www.thelivingtheatrewhitwell.org
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