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About Much Ado About Shakespeare

This production consists of 4 shorts

Wherefore Are Thee?
Romeo and Juliet (abridged)
Living with Lady Macbeth
Macbeth (abridged)

Living with Lady Macbeth

Living with Lady Macbeth uses the device of a play within a play to examine some of the issues of power and ambition invested in the character of Lady Macbeth. Lily is determined to audition for this part, as she is tired of always being behind the scene, of being ordinary and reliable. Disregarding derision from those around her, Lily stuns everyone with a chilling performance of Act 1 Scene V, but finally chooses to do the costumes – not out of defeat, but because she has satisfied her ambition.

Playwright Rob John is a playwright and drama consultant who has been training teachers in drama and theatre for over twenty years. His radio work includes several plays for BBC Radio 4 and many stories and dramatizations for BBC Education. He is a co-author of Inspiring Writing through Drama and play The Spaceman. Living with Lady Macbeth was first published in 1992.

7th - 13th April, 2017

  • Venue: The Courthouse Theatre
  • Genre: Variety

  • Director: Alexandra Meerbach

  • Playwrights: Shakespeare, Rob John


Other stagings at BNT of Macbeth

About the Director

Alexandra Meerbach

Alexandra Meerbach is a Board member of Ballarat National Theatre and the Director of Ballarat National Theatre’s latest production Little Women.

Alexandra completed a Bachelor of Performing Arts at BAPA in 1999. Since then she has appeared a few times on screen; participated in various fringe festival shows as either: writer, director, actor and costume or mask designer. She has also experimented with anonymous theatre, immersive theatre and produced the short film Sine which made it to the final of Tropfest.

Alexandra works as a simulated patient for the Royal Women’s Hospital and University of Melbourne and coordinates actors for Deakin University. She teaches Speech and Drama at Ballarat Centre of Music & the Arts (link out to https://www.facebook.com/ballaratcentreofmusicandthearts/); Damascus College & Ballarat Grammar.

Recently Alexandra & cofounder Mary-Rose McLaren, started a choral speaking choir which performed in Ballarat National Theatre’s Who Remembers the Great War?, Ballarat Laneways Festival with The Raven and the witches from Macbeth, at Clunes Book Week & most recently at the Royal South Street Society Competitions. Both are now involved in Mad Swan Productions (link out to https://madswanproductions.com/) which has a vision to create art, (be that theatre, film or installation art), that addresses social and political issues and generates discussions within communities to bring about change. Their latest production is Chatroom.

With Ballarat National Theatre—Alexandra has also performed in The Female of the Species & One Boy's War. She has assistant directed the 2014 production of Chatroom with Mary-Rose McLaren & co-directed Who Remembers the Great War? with Peter Nethercote (link to any of the production pages available).

Living with Lady Macbeth Cast

Emily Baker

Plays Lorraine Furguson

Harrison Baker

Plays Barry

Angus Drain

Plays Student MacBeth

Sam Drew

Plays Alex

Lilly Therodore

Plays Caroline Pritchard

Lisa Hill

Play Mechanic

Laura Hudson

Mr Crabtree

Zoe James

Plays Ms Bevis

Quinn Muller

Plays Mon

Jennifer Montgomery

Plays Mother

Emily Nimmo

Plays Instructor

Ruby Penhall

Plays Stephanie Boyce

Veronica Rogers

Plays Gail Bentley

Rachael Shelton

Plays Lily

Lucy Walters

Plays Suzanne Porter

Macbeth Cast

The 30 minute version! Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders the King and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia.

Emily Baker

Plays Sergeant, Murderer 1

Harrison Baker

Plays Malcolm

Hannah Connell

Plays Siward, Gentlewoman

John Daykin

Plays Macbeth

Angus Drain

Plays Lennox

Sam Drew

Plays Macduff's Son, Soldier

Lisa Hill

Play Banquo

Laura Hudson

Plays Ross, Gentlewoman

Zoe James

Plays Porter, Soldier

Elly Krieg

Plays King Duncan

Tim Harris

Plays Macduff

Mary-Rose McLaren

Plays Lady Macduff, Soldier

Quinn Muller

Plays Lennox

Emily Nimmo

Plays Donalbain, Young Siward

Ruby Penhall

Plays Witch 1

Veronica Rogers

Plays Murderer 3, Apparition 3, Soldier

Serena Rushton

Plays Fleance (Banquo's Son), Murderer 2, Apparition 2, Soldier

Rachael Shelton

Plays Doctor, Soldier

Liana Emmerson

Plays Lady Macbeth

Lily Theodore

Plays Witch 3, Servant, Seyton, Soldier

Rosa Varga-Miller

Plays Witch 2, Soldier

Lucy Walters

Plays Apparition 1, Messenger, Soldier

Wherefore Are Thee?

Is made up of four linked monologues—in the first Diana talks about the upcoming auditions for the group’s next production and how she expects to get the lead.

The second monologue occurs after the auditions, when she did not get the part of Juliet as expected and was cast as “Nurse”.

In monologue three she describes how she “inadvertently” dropped a packet of Jaffa Cakes into Juliet’s rucksack when she bumped into her in the supermarket, which resulted in Juliet getting arrested for shoplifting and having to drop out of the production. After much persuasion from the Director, Diana agrees to take over the role of Juliet, purely to save the show, of course!

In the fourth and final monologue, the reviews of the opening night are in and they are far from kind. Diana is not happy and holds the Director entirely responsible, because she never wanted the part in the first place!

Christine Holmes

Plays Diana

Romeo and Juliet

The 30 minute version!

A long feud between the Montague and Capulet families causes tragic results for Romeo and Juliet. Revenge, love and a secret marriage.

Angus Drain

Plays Romeo

Rosa Varga-Miller

Plays Juliet

Emily Baker

Plays 3rd Watchman, 1st Servant, 2nd Servant, Masked Guest, Fighting Citizen

Harrison Baker

Plays Benvolio

Hannah Connell

Plays Lady Capulet, Silohuette Musician

John Daykin

Plays Montague

Lisa Hill

Play Prince Escalus

Christine Holmes

Plays The Apothocery, Masked Guest, Fighting Citizen

Zoe James

Plays Tybalt

Elly Krieg

Plays Friar Lawrence, Masked Guest, Fighting Citizen

Tim Harris

Plays Capulet

Mary-Rose McLaren

Plays Nurse, Fighting Citizen

Quinn Muller

Plays Gregory, 1st Watchman, Page to Mercutio, Masked Guest

Emily Nimmo

Plays Paris, 1st Citizen

Ruby Penhall

Plays Abraham, Balthasar, Tybalt's Companion, Masked Guest

Rachael Shelton

Plays Samson, 2nd Watchman, Silhouette Musician

Liana Emmerson

Plays Mercutio, 2nd Citizen

Lily Theodore

Plays Friar John, Tybalt's Companion, Masked Guest, Fighting Citizen

Laura Hudson

Lady Montague

Program

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