Actors Without Barders to present Macbeth

By John Redmond

Actors Without Barder's (AWB) will present William Shakespeare's benchmark tragedy about regicide and its aftermath, “Macbeth,” at the Chango theater in Myeongdong beginning April 9.

“Macbeth” is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607.

His sources are the accounts of King Macbeth of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in “Holinshed's Chronicles” (1587), a history of England, Scotland and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

William Shakespeare, the English poet and playwright was often called “The Bard of Avon” hence the name of this theater troupe.

This production stands as the first full-length Shakespeare text ever produced by an English company in Seoul, and promises to offer all the dark thrills of the original text, folded inside of a uniquely woven, modern production aesthetic.

Drawing on inspiration from such diverse sources as modern film and classic Japanese “butoh” performance, this production promises to capture the audience with its raw energy, stunning sound, and fresh perspective, all the while keeping true to the original intentions of the text.

“Visual sparcity and an auditory soundscape of desolation and post-apocalyptic social splintering create an appropriately decimated world into which the greed, violence, and eternal battle between free-will and fate of the classic story can unfold,” according to a press statement.

AWB first took to the stage in December 2009, performing a diverse collection of Shakespeare scenes at Roofers bar in Itaewon, Seoul, and has since presented many of the Bard ’s greatest works.

The company formed with a mission to address the dearth of English-language Shakespeare performances in the country and it has taken a leading role in bringing more of the playwright's work to audiences. It is an established part of the expat theater community along with such companies as BH Productions, Seoul Players and Seoul City Improv.

The weekend performances from April 9 to 17 are at 7 p.m. with 3 p.m. matinees on Sunday 10 and the following weekend.

The tickets cost is 15,000 won.

For reservations, contact awbticketing@gmail.com and information go to Actorswb@gmail.com.

To get to Chango theater, leave Exit 10 of Myeongdong Station on line 4. Walk out and turn left after Outback Steakhouse and then walk straight for a little over a minute.