What I learned. . .
Sometimes you go for the adventure – and most times the adventure is absolutely worth it. Such was the case with the fifth production of Macbeth I directed – this time at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore, Maryland.
Getting the offer to direct the production was a great reminder about the way in which connections in this business work. In addition to whatever my longevity and reputation might have done to provoke interest in being CSC’s first out-of- town guest director, Ron Heneghan, who I’d known since the early ‘90’s when we both worked at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and then, a few years later, at PCPA Theaterfest, where I hired him as an Artist-in-Residence is an actor and staff member at CSC; but CSC’s Artistic Director, Ian Gallaner, knew of me through his friend, Doug Scholz-Carlson, and Gerrad Taylor, whom I had directed as Mercutio in a production of Romeo and Juliet when he was in the graduate acting program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then in a couple of productions at the Great River Shakespeare Festival, was originally from the Baltimore/ Washington, DC area and also a company member at CSC. There were several voices advocating in my favor, but I had also taken time to stop by CSC when I was passing through Baltimore to meet Ian and tour their wonderful space.
I think the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company can best be described as a professional theatre company that, for the time being, operates on more of a non-professional rehearsal schedule. CSC hires Equity actors from the area (“the area” being the Baltimore/ DC nexus), several of whom are considered company and/or staff members, including Leslie Malin, Managing Director and an excellent Lady Macbeth in this production -- and has a resident staff and a permanent facility.
But because many of their actors are non-Equity and hold down day jobs, our rehearsal hours were limited – compounded by the commute many Macbeth cast members endured, driving to downtown Baltimore during weekday rush hour. But in spite of the challenge of limited hours and a company in which at least 50% of the actors held down full-time jobs elsewhere, I had a number of things working in my favor.
First and foremost was the cast and the company’s passion and commitment. They loved Shakespeare, loved what they and CSC were doing in Baltimore, and loved working with each other.
Second was the theatre itself. CSC occupies a refurbished, renovated, beautifully restored historic bank building in downtown Baltimore, two blocks from the harbor (and the world-famous Baltimore Aquarium), which has been retrofitted to resemble a contemporary version of the theatres of Shakespeare’s age. Platform stage with no real stage machinery to provide technical “magic” (so the playwright’s words and the human imagination are paramount in all CSC does); limited backstage space; audience on three sides, seating about 250 playgoers stacked into three levels (orchestra plus two tiers); bench seating (very comfortable), which meant you got to sit close to your fellow audience members and experience their response to the production along with your own; open to the back of the house so that sound traveled beautifully and directors and actors could utilize all levels and aisles as playing spaces, which made staging the play that much more vibrant, creative, and thrilling.
Third was the commitment of the entire CSC staff to make my stay as comfortable and well-supported as they could.
Macbeth is also a relatively short play and having worked on it several times previously, my knowledge of the script helped compensate for the limited hours (plus several key actors – those playing Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Ross, Malcolm, and Macduff – were available for afternoon rehearsal hours, so we picked up significant time before larger group evening rehearsals began).
And I was smart enough to bring on board as my assistant Jess Shoemaker, who I met when she was an undergrad at Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis. Jess spent several summer seasons at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota; first, as a member of our Apprentice Actor Training Program, then as a Text Coach/Dramaturgy Intern, next as an Assistant Director, and most recently, as co-Director of the Apprentice program. Jess has formidable aptitude and skill with heightened language and verse, and was able to work with and note the actors as rehearsals proceeded, saving time and deepening the experience every step of the way. She also has prodigious people skills and the gift of never making an actor feel threatened or condescended to when she helps with the implementation of verse speaking skills and principles. Together we conquered many of the obstacles that the scheduled presented. The resulting clarity of the storytelling was largely due to Jess’s tireless and invaluable contributions.
Being in Baltimore was a complete adventure. Although I’d visited the city briefly on a couple of occasions, I’d never spent extended time there. Walking the neighborhoods between my apartment (with its Murphy bed and view of the parking lot, backside of the adjacent strip mall, double-decker freeway, and just beyond the freeway, the city jail) was revealing and enlightening; and having daytime hours at my disposal was the upside of the limited rehearsal schedule (and one of the pleasures of free-lance work).
Right now Baltimore is a troubled city, but it’s also a beautiful, evocative city awash with our country’s history -- and one that is on the rebound as it confronts all the challenges that poverty and racism present. I felt raw and alive every time I went for my daily walk(s), and grateful to have the time to become better acquainted with the city.
Mostly though I had another opportunity to explore a monumental script by a master playwright. I’ve often felt that Shakespeare devilishly throws down the gauntlet with Macbeth. You’ve got Witches, you’ve got ghosts, you’ve got sleep- walking, you’ve got bloodshed galore, you’ve got a moving forest, you’ve got children to slaughter, you’ve got apparitions, you’ve got Hecate, you’ve got a beheading. And all of this takes place with incredible, swift economy. Just as you’ve figured out how to conquer one challenge, the playwright presents three more, always asking “so what are you going to do about this one??”
Fortunately, my game and dedicated cast was entirely up for the challenge, as were my designers, and the theatre’s wonderfully supportive staff. CSC’s resources may not have been as lavish as other companies for which I’ve directed, but they were unmatched in their dedication, their willingness to strive for excellence, and their pride in what they are doing in downtown Baltimore. Macbeth at CSS was an adventure for which I’ll remain ever grateful and which I would gladly undertake again.
