DIRECTOR’S NOTES

There are certain Shakespeare plays which seem to provoke an immediate question when revealed as part of a theatre’s season announcement. Hamlet, Richard III, King Lear and Macbeth are immediately met with, “Who’s playing ‘X’?”, as though the potential of the production might be pre-judged by the casting of the lead role.

What if we didn’t know who was playing Macbeth? Or what human was inhabiting any role, for that matter? If we could effectively remove, conceal, or obscure the persona of the actor, could we shift the spotlight from player back to text?

The idea of Goblins doing Shakespeare seemed obvious to me. I have a profound love of words, as well as a background in mask work, improvisation and misbehavior. The older I get, the weirder I like my theatre. As the notion for Goblin:Macbeth was gestating, I began making discreet inquiries with artist-friends. I was consistently met with one of two strong reactions:

“So, you mean I would play Macbeth, but ideally no one in the audience would ever know it was me playing the part? – NO THANK YOU.” 

OR

“So, you mean I would play Macbeth, but ideally no one in the audience would ever know it was me playing the part? SIGN ME UP!” 

Discussions with the latter group revealed a strong desire for anonymity that inspires a total freedom to disappear inside a character, and to explore Shakespeare’s text without the pressure of being evaluated in advance. In rehearsals we found a new permission to play, question and explore with a loving irreverence. It gave us a new appreciation for Shakespeare’s work.

The Goblins come to the text with curiosity, but no preconceived notions. To them, Macbeth is not Shakespeare’s most unsettling and cursed play – they already come from a world where fairies, ghosts, witches and magic are pedestrian.

Our Goblins are able to push past all that phantasmagoria to highlight a humour that is so often glossed over in human productions that favour a macabre atmosphere. Our Goblins reveal that to pair tragedy with humour, as Shakespeare intended, is a profoundly human impulse that highlights the horror, while allowing us to bear it.

In closing: I actively discourage you from seeking out the identity of our players, if you don’t know already. (Secrets are hard to keep.) Let the Goblins work their magic on you; let the play hit you in new ways. And if it’s your first time seeing Macbeth, then our apologies – it’s all downhill from here.