NTS Bring Macbeth Sequel Home

David
Greig’s new play, a sequel to Shakespeare’s Macbeth,
directed by Roxana Silbert, was presented by the RSC at London’s
Hampstead Theatre earlier this year. The production will tour to two
Scottish venues in May and June 2011, opening at the Lyceum Theatre,
Edinburgh in May 2011 and the Citizens Theatre in June 2011.

Attempting
to restore peace and put in place a new ruler, the commanding officer
is beset by a brutal guerrilla uprising and simmering discontent
amongst his own inexperienced troops. Struggling to grasp the alien
customs and politics of this harsh country, he finds himself drawn
towards the tyrant’s powerful widow in search of someone to share
his burden of responsibility.

Dunsinane
is the setting for Greig’s play, the Scottish garrison town where
the English occupying army are ready to commence battle and
historically believed to be the site of a battle where Malcolm
defeated Macbeth in 1054.

David
Greig said: “I’m really excited that the RSC’s production of
Dunsinane is going to come to Scotland. It’s a big, bold, dark
story and without the National Theatre of Scotland it would have no
chance of being seen here. Dunsinane emerged for me around five years
ago when there seemed to be several productions of Macbeth being
performed. Macbeth is about the toppling of a king. But I found I was
interested in what happened after that king was overthrown. How does
an army restore a kingdom to peace?”

He
continued: “I also had a cheeky desire, to respond to the fact that
the most famous Scottish play was written by the most famous English
writer. I wanted to look at the story from a Scottish point of view.
And who could resist the chance to revisit Lady Macbeth, one of the
greatest characters in all drama?”

Vicky
Featherstone, Artistic Director, National Theatre of Scotland
commented: “We are delighted and
honoured to bring this extraordinary play by David Greig in Roxana
Silbert’s beautiful production to audiences in Scotland. It seems
fitting that the ideas in Dunsinane have provided the first link for
us to work with the RSC. I know audiences will be thrilled by it.“

David
Greig is a multi award-winning Scottish playwright whose work is
regularly produced by the National Theatre of Scotland. His new
version of Peter Pan for the company, is currently touring the
UK and his forthcoming collaboration with director, Wils Wilson, The
Strange Case of Prudencia Hart tours Scottish pubs and village
halls in November 2010. His play with music, Midsummer was a
hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in London, at Soho
Theatre, earlier this year. His most recent
production for the RSC was The
American Pilot.

Roxana
Silbert directs the production – her first for the RSC as an
Associate Director. She recently directed the world’s first Twitter
production – Such Tweet Sorrow, for the
RSC, Mudlark and 4ip, and directed A Comedy of Errors
for the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Roxana was previously
Artistic Director of Paines Plough, Literary Director at the Traverse
Theatre (2001-2004) and Associate Director at
the Royal Court. Recent productions include Orphans
by Dennis Kelly (Traverse/Birmingham Rep/Soho), Roaring
Trade by Steve Thompson (Soho) and
Dallas Sweetman
by Sebastian Barry (Canterbury Cathedral).

The
production is designed by Robert Innes Hopkins, with
lighting by Chahine Yavroyan and music and sound by Nick Powell.
Movement is by Anna Morrissey and fights are by Terry King. Cast
for the 2011 tour will be announced at a future date.