Ballet Theatre of Maryland to perform Macbeth at the Maryland Renaissance Festival

Dramatic Ballet in One Act based on the work by W. Shakespeare. Choreography: R. Mykyta * Composer: R. Strauss Premiere: February 23, 2024 Performed by The Ballet Theatre of Maryland at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD Run Time: 22 Minutes * Cast 18 Women, 4 Men This premier corresponded with the 460th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the 360th Anniversary since Macbeth’s definitive first performance and the 160th Anniversary of Richard Strauss’s birth. This piece was supported by the Mark Ryder Original Choreography Grant from Howard County Arts Council. Despite the heavy subject matter, translating Macbeth into the ballet medium has been stimulating and exciting. Shakespeare’s work is a vivid masterpiece with a superstitious reputation among actors. Indeed, it is among the Shakespearean plays that emphasizes the supernatural through robust visionary language and the presence of the Weird Sisters and Hecate. Among the chief advantages of choreographing Macbeth has been emphasizing its psycho-spiritual landscape over realism. For me, the supernatural quartet represents many things including fatalism and the unrestrained id manifesting in primordial pagan, albeit Jung-ian archetypes of the maiden-mother-crone and the dark side of the moon. Suffering from preoccupation with darkness, both Macbeth and his wife descend further into darkness. In Eastern Orthodox thought, wrongdoing has five stages: intrusive thought, rumination, action, addiction and captivity; all of which seem to be checkpoints within Shakespeare’s writing. They create their own suffering, which is a door they have locked from the inside. Richard Strauss’s music perfectly captures the tone of the play and evokes the right movement.

Maryland Renaissance Festival 2022 season begins on August 27th for nine weekends of merriment. Online ticket sales will begin on August 1st. Learn more.