Macbeth is Archway Theatre's latest challenge

Performances are at 7.45pm each day: from Tuesday to Saturday, May 2-6 and from Tuesday to Saturday, May 9-13. Tickets for Macbeth are available by clicking on Box Office on the theatre’s home page (www.archwaytheatre.com); members £11.50; non-members £13.50.

Dodie said: “This production of Macbeth takes the audience back to an era long ago of violent power struggles when people believed supernatural forces and evil were able to wield enormous influence over their daily life and determine the course of events.”

Macbeth is the first Shakespeare play that Dodie remembers seeing and she says she has always been fascinated by the power and authority of Lady Macbeth, as well as Macbeth’s transformation from loyal soldier to murderer of his king and friend Banquo.

“I enjoy how Shakespeare creates strong female characters, given when the plays were first performed and how different life was to now,” she explains. “This year is the four hundredth anniversary of the First Folio, in which the first written version of Macbeth appeared, although the play was performed during Shakespeare’s life and is thought to have evolved from the original performances in his time, to the written version in the Folio. I have been inspired by the many productions of this play I have seen and how it allows each director great scope for adapting it while staying true to the story. I have wanted to direct Macbeth for some time but, as usual, life gets in the way and this was originally planned for 2021 at Archway Theatre,” she said. “However, because of the pandemic, the programme was paused and now, in 2023, it is about to open.”

In the intervening two years, she has stayed committed to her original plan of simplicity of setting and focus on the impact of the witches as elemental spirits. Ensuring that the stage set reflects the director’s vision has been the responsibility of set designer Gary Andrews (who also plays the role of Banquo).