Macbeth: Behind the Curtain

The Venue Theater in Conifer had its closing night of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” on October 26. While audiences watched the actors onstage, the behind-the-scenes crew worked magic to make it possible.

“I approached the design of the show with two goals in mind: to emphasize the abilities of the actors in telling the story and to make the performers the centerpiece of the spectacle,” director Beau Fisher said.

Many different technical elements are used to help deliver the message of the show and make the actors shine, and due to Shakespeare’s complexity, tech is an important piece of the show, helping the audience understand the message in the midst of confusing dialogue.

“Lights were minimally used, mostly to indicate night and day and the passing of time, with some accents for more dramatic moments,” Fisher said.

When a character’s death was mentioned, the lights would dim to represent its darkness, and when a character saw something nobody else could, there would be a bold contrast in the lighting between the real world and the character’s hallucinations. Additionally, anytime there was a fight or murder scene, the lights would dim and redden, emphasizing the scene’s dark and gory nature.

“Sound and music were my primary focus to inform and expand on the imagination of the audience,” Fisher said.

Heightening scenes, sound created the atmosphere of the show. Music would help to intensify the fight and death scenes; Effects were used to invoke imagery of a dinner party or an active fight.

“While only eight total actors were used in the play, many sound effects were used to make their number appear greater,” Fisher said.

Another important component was the use of fake blood, which sold many fight scenes. 

”Stage blood was a necessary element of this play. Characters specifically reference blood on their hands or are visited by bloody apparitions,” Fisher said.

When the ghosts of dead characters appeared on stage, the blood marked their wounds. When Macbeth and his wife murdered King Duncan, they appeared on stage with bloody hands, portraying their guilt.

In between shows, the stage was never mopped, leaving drops of blood that fell during each show to add to the next’s tragic scenery. These elements, combined with the onstage acting, made a successful weekend for the Venue with high turnouts for each show. 

“Through our tech process, we discovered that many physical moments lined up with the music underscoring,” Fisher said. “It was endlessly satisfying to have the music fade in or out of a dramatic scene, or have a sudden swell of instruments timed perfectly with the witch’s magic or the thrust of a sword.”