Showtimes are: Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. The show is free.
ASHLAND — Eliana Douglas has sung and danced in front of audiences before, but the Ashbrook Classical Theater program’s show this fall, “Macbeth,” marks her first time playing a character onstage.
Douglas, a 20-year-old sophomore studying entrepreneurship and management at Ashland University, plays a servant, messenger and lord in the play.
She said the roles are small, but it’s been interesting to portray them and see how they help the story along.
William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” shares the story of Macbeth, a Scottish general, who is told by three witches he will be the king of Scotland.
It follows his descent into madness as he kills the king, takes over the position and then becomes more and more paranoid in attempts to protect his power.
Douglas said even the messenger becoming fearful of her boss helps to show that descent.
“Even though it’s a tragedy, there’s a lot of lessons about loyalty and faithfulness and betrayal,” Douglas said. “It shows how we handle times of hardship and glory.”
Putting on a show
According to Sabrina Maristela, the Ashbrook Center’s student programs coordinator who directed the show, the play is the third Shakespeare show the program has staged in the last three years.
Maristela graduated from Ashland University in 2020. She taught in Arizona for a year before returning to take her current position at her alma mater.
It’s the Ashbrook Center’s 40th anniversary this year, and the 160th version of the Gettysburg Address. The center has a heavy emphasis on Lincoln, and according to Maristela, “Macbeth” was his favorite Shakespearean play.
AU’s Studio Theater saw “Macbeth’s” first showing last week. There will be free showings at The Ashland Theatre all weekend.
The newly-renovated theater put on its first live event with a “Murder Under the Big Top” fundraiser earlier this month. According to previous Ashland Source reporting, bringing more live theater shows to The Ashland Theatre has been a goal for executive director Chris Skinner.
That aligned with Maristela’s goals at the Ashbrook Center. Maristela said one of her focuses as the program coordinator is making shows accessible to the public.
Ashland University can act as a “bubble,” she said. Bringing the show to the newly-renovated Ashland Theatre builds a bridge between AU and the city of Ashland.
“I want this to be something we can see and think about together, because it’s just a great story,” Maristela said.
Students spent the week re-blocking the show to transfer it from AU’s Studio Theater to The Ashland.
Maristela added the Ashbrook Theater program’s rendition doesn’t cut out any parts of “Macbeth.” That’s because she thinks people need to see Shakespeare how the Bard intended it.
Thanks to that, the show lasts nearly three hours. Maristela said she heard during its first run at the university last week that it doesn’t feel that long.
‘A reading group come alive’
The three-hour show will be full of action, from choreographed sword fights to intense acting.
Heath Johnston, a 22-year-old senior at AU, plays the titular character. He didn’t do theater at all before coming to Ashland, but said he’s enjoyed trying his hand at something new.
“I’m a calm person, so playing a crazy, wild, ravenous tyrant who descends into madness … is very far from who I am as a person,” Johnston said.
Still, the international relations, political science and history triple major said the character’s struggle with ambition versus morality is a universal lesson.
Ray Yeh, a junior who plays Macduff, the antagonist in “Macbeth,” said being in the show was like a “reading group come alive.”
The choices Yeh and Johnston made in portraying their characters all came from the text’s guidance, Yeh said.
Personally, he struggled with the “aura of restrained power” Macduff holds.
Usually, Yeh said he makes big choices when playing his characters. While Macduff has that power, Yeh said he holds back, and playing with that has been an interesting exercise for the 20-year-old political science and political economics major.
Yeh and Johnston both agreed that bringing Shakespeare to Ashland has been a great experience. They encouraged people to see the show.
The show will have two runs at The Ashland. Any community members interested in viewing the work can attend either the Dec. 1 show, at 7 p.m., or a Dec. 3 show at 1 p.m. for free.
