Productions
Students from the Cairns community are eligible to participate in any of the NQADA productions, whether to gain further experience on the stage or off the stage.
Students will learn how to audition for roles for which they would like to be considered.
2007 PRODUCTION OF MACBETH
JULY 12 – 14
AT THE RONDO THEATRE, Greenslopes St
This Production was adapted for physical theatre style and changed to fit into a contemporary environment with contemporary issues.
The plot summary - (from Lisa Worthington’s notes)
The play began with the launch of Dunsinane’s latest closing line. Witchlike seamstresses announce that they intend to meet with Macbeth. Jacinta DUNCAN, the ‘king’ of the fashion industry hears the news that her employees, MACBETH and BANQUO, have intercepted an attempt by the thane (manager) of the ‘Cawdor” line to conspire and commit treason by trading design with the ‘enemy forces’ at Siward Designs.
Arriving back at the factory floors, Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches at work. The witches prophesise that Macbeth will be made Thane of Cawdor and eventually king. They also prophesise that Macbeth’s companion, Banquo, will beget a line of fashion kings, although Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies skeptically until Duncan’s personal assistant (ROSS), comes to thank the two men for their victory over the traitor and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named Thane of Cawdor.Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder of the witches’ prophecy – that he will be crowned king – might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. Duncan sign star model Birny Lechious to the Dunsinane label. Macbeth visits Dunsinane Head Office just in time to hear Duncan’s announcement that he daughter MALCOLM will take over the company when she retires. Macbeth and Duncan plan to dine together aqt Macbeth’s house in the suburb of Inverness that night. Macbeth e-mails his wife, LADY MACBETH, telling her all that has happened.
Lady Macbeth desires the kingship for her husband and has non of the uncertainty. She wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives home, she overrides all of her husband’s objections and persuades him to kill Duncan that very night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s security guards drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the security guards who will be defenceless, as they will remember nothing.
Macbeth stabs Duncan in her sleep, despite his doubts and a number of supernatural portents, including a vision of a bloody dagge. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next morning, Macbeth announces he has killed the security guards – ostensibly out of rage at their crime – and easily assumes the kingship. Duncan’s children Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan desires their demise as well.
With the rightful heirs’ to the Dunsinane Empire gone, Macbeth takes over the fashion house and changes everything, even the brand name. The witches revel in their success of being able to manipulate ‘the players’ in their games and continue to play games at the launch of Macbeth’s new label. Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth after what the witches prophesised has now come true. Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo after everyone has left the fashion parade, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes into the night.
At the feast that night, Banquo’s ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth raves fearfully, startling his guests who include all the big names and media personalities of the ‘it’ world. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralise the damage, but Macbeth’s new management style incites increasing resistance from his nobles and subjects. Frightened, Macbeth goes to visit the witches back in the factory. There, they show him a sequence of apparitions who present him with further prophecies: he must be aware of Macduff, an upcoming designer who opposed Macbeth’s accession to the head of the fashion empire; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure, because he knows that all men are born of women and that woods cannot move.
Birnam Lechious announces her engagement to Lord of the Rings star actor, Elijah Wood and her decision to retire from modelling despite Macbeth’s objections. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to find Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s house be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered. When the news of his family’s execution reaches Macduff in England, he is stricken with grief and vows revenge. Malcolm, Duncan’s daughter, has succeeded in raising lawyers, representatives, fans and opposing fashion houses in England as a ‘army’ to work against Macbeth.
Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth is going quite mad, a doctor has been employed to watch her make a diagnosis. The nurse refuses to repeat what she has heard so she makes the doctor stay up and see for himself. When the doctor sees her, he states that there is nothing that he can do, and that they should watch her eve more closely, for she may be suicidal. Back at Dunsinane Head Office, everyone has deserted Macbeth but his servants, who are forced to stay. He receives the news that the forces are on their way to attack. Macbeth is still pretty confident for he knows that he will not be killed by anyone being born of woman, he reassures himself that by remembering that he is not to worry until the Birnam Wood moves towards his castle.
Elijah Wood and Birnam finally marry, working against Macbeth’s desires
and as a result she decides to join forces with the whispered rumours of
a mutiny against Macbeth, with her accompanying fan club. Malcolm’s
followers and the English Company – Siward Designs, joins forces with
Malcolm to overthrow Macbeth. They meet with the newly married Birnam Wood,
her lawyers and fan club who have turned out to protest against Macbeth’s
tyrannical running of the fashion house. The fans hoist posters of Birnam
Wood above their heads and storm towards the Head Office. Macbeth hears that
his wife has killed herself. Then a messenger comes to tell Macbeth that
it looked like the Birnam Woods are moving towards that castle. On their
arrival at the Head Office, Malcolm orders the protestors to throw down their
camouflage signs and start their fighting. Finally, Macbeth and Macduff meet.
Macbeth does not want to fight anymore, he feels very bad for all ready having
killed so many people. At this point he is positive that he will not be killed.
Then Macduff reveals that he was born by caesarean section and thus he was
not technically born of woman. Macbeth finally realises that the witches
have been using equivocation. He still refuses to yield and this time he
fights to the end. Macduff reinstates Malcolm as the true heir to the Fashion
Empire and King of Scotland fashion.
Cast:
| MACBETH | SAM BROOKFIELD |
| LADY MACBETH | ELLEN BUTTROSE |
| MACDUFF | KURTIS LOWDEN |
| BANQUO | BEN COLE |
| FLEANCE | SAM GLENNON |
| DUNCAN | MAXINE LINES |
| MALCOLM | STEPHANIE KEOGH |
| DONALBAIN | LAURA TAPSCOTT |
| ROSS | KIMBERLEY GRIEVES |
| LENNOX | JANE VAN EEGHAN |
| SIWARD | EMMA GLENNON |
| SEYTON | ANNIE THALLON |
| CAWDOR | BRETT HILL |
| NURSE | BRIDGETTE LOWDEN |
| DOCTOR | CLEM VOHLAND |
| LADY MACDUFF | KATE O’CONNOR |
| PORTER | TAMSIN PAXTON |
| BIRNAY (WOOD) | MADDY LOVEY |
| MODEL | NATASHA STACEY |
| BRIDGETTE LOWDEN | |
| BRETT HILL | |
| DANA O’CONNOR | |
| KELLY DAVIS | |
| ANNIE THALLON | |
| WITCHES | HANNAH FULTON |
| RACHEL FULTON | |
| KATE O’CONNOR | |
| CLEM VOHLAND | |
| JESSICA JASNSCH | |
| MADDT LOVEY | |
| DIRECTOR | LISA WORTHINGTON |
| PERFORMANCE ASSISTANT |
MELANIE BRIERLEY |
| SOUND CO-ORDINATOR | JYE TUCKER |
UPCOMING PRODUCTION
CINDERELLA by JAMES PATERSON
AUDITIONS 7TH SEPTEMBER 3.30-4.30
At Eisteddfod Hall
Greenslopes Street
Cairns.
PH: 40592745 or O4O8 623 431
 |