Mac: A Macbeth Story (November)
A contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic, written by Grant Williams
November, Studio Theatre
Mac: A Macbeth Story
by Grant Williams
Mac…………………………………………………………..Lucas Griffin
Cynthia……………………………………………………..Sloane Dubois
Duncan/Malcolm…………………………………………Rae Cook
Bale/Agatha………………………………………………..Alyix Sorto
Flarmin/Jason……………………………………………..Tristen Blakely
Ross/Phil/Rich…………………………………………….Rayli Stearman
Levi……………………………………………………………Ki Trahin
Kevin…………………………………………………………Cooper Cougill
Director……………………………………………………..Grant Williams
Stage Manager…………………………………………..Natalie Sayer
Lighting Designer………………………………………..Kelly Schmidt
Costume Designer………………………………………Zech Saenz
Set/Video/Sound Designer…………………………..Grant Williams
Assistant Stage Managers…………………………..Pidge May, Maggie Trimmer
Choreography………………………………..Marissa Castillo Fight Direction…………………Scott Russell
Sound/Video Board Op……………………Kate Downey Light Board Op………………..Axel Osborne Wardrobe……………………….Kaitlynn Miner Video Editing…………………..Evan Porterfield
Crew…………………………………………….Cooper Cougill, Maeve Rosario, Katelyn Hall, Hiba Belkacemi
Ushers………………………………………….Sofia Casasola Wust, Vanessa Pineda Sanchez, Sophia Tinterra
Cast and Crew
Mac – Lucas Griffin
Lucas Griffin, (He/Him) is a Senior History Major and Secondary Education Major. His previous experience with UIndyTheatreCo is his various roles in All in The Timing as well as his general assistance in acting/directing classes!
Cynthia / Lennox – Sloane Dubois
Bale/Agatha – Alyix Yamileth Sorto
Alyix Yamileth Sorto (She/Her) is a Sophomore Secondary Education and English Major with a Performing Arts Minor. This is her first production with UIndyTheatreCo.!
Duncan/Malcolm – Rae Cook
Rae Cook (They/Them) is a Senior Theatre Major working towards a Performing Arts Minor.
They have asst. Stage Managed Evil Dead: The Musical and Tick..Tick..BOOM! They also Stage Managed 2pm in Faith, Nebraska.
Onstage, Rae has been seen as Lane/Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Marty in Circle Mirror Transformation
Outside of UIndyTheatreCo. Rae has been hired as a stage manager for Aladdin: Kids and Oliver! The Musical produced by Creatve Grounds Fine Arts Academy
Flarmin/Jason – Tristan Blackley
Tristian Blakely is a Freshman History Education Major with a Theatre Minor.
This is his first production with UIndyTheatreCo.!
Ross/Phil – Rayli Stearman
Rayli Stearman (She/Her) is a Junior History Major
This is her first production with UIndyTheatreCo.!
Levi – Ki Elio
Ki Elio (He/Him) is a Sophomore Creative Writing Major
Previously he has been onstage for Cabaret: An Artist’s Showcase!
Kevin – Cooper Cougill
Cooper Cougill (He/Him) is a Junior Communications Major on the Theatre track
Previously, he has worked on the crew for the UIndy productions of Circle Mirror Transformation and Tick, Tick… Boom! as Sound Board Operator
Class of THE170 – Crew
Pictured in order left to right / top to bottom
- Cooper Cougill
- Maggie Trimmer (She/Her) is a Senior Communication Major on the Theatre Track. She holds the title of Assistant Stage Manager!
- Katelyn Hall (She/Her) is a Freshman Communication Major with a focus in Theatre who also debuts onstage as a dinner guest!
- Axel Osborne (They/Them) is a Senior Theatre Major with a double minor in Creative Writing & Anthropology. They are the Theatre Tech Student Manager, For Mac they hold the titles: Costume Distresser, Blood Designer, and Assistant Lighting Designer
- Pidge May (They/Them) Pidge May is a Junior Environmental Science Major. They hold the title of Assistant Stage Manager
- Maeve Rosario (Him/Her) is a Junior Communication Major on the Theatre Track. He can be seen onstage as a dinner guest!
- Kate Downey (She/Her) is a Sophomore Communication Major on the Media Track. She holds the title of Sound Board Operator.
Not Pictured:
- Kaitlynn Miner
- Hiba Belkacemi
Stage Combat – Scott Russell
Scott Russell is an AEA actor, SDC fight choreographer, educator, and a Full Instructor/Associate Fight Director with Dueling Arts International; he currently serves as the performance instructor at Franklin College. Scott is a graduate of The Conservatory at Act One Studios – Chicago, received his MFA from the University of Arkansas and received his BS in Biology from Belmont University.
Choreography – Marissa Castillo
Marissa Castillo is a 2009 graduate from Ball State University with a degree in Dance Performance, where she joined Ball State Dance Theatre, the university’s pre-professional performance company, and performed in six mainstage dance concerts. Marissa has also taken ballet and modern classes in Seattle, Washington, at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Marissa has worked and choreographed with the Village Dance Studio in Whitestown, IN since 2009, where she teaches many styles of dance.
Costume Designer – Zech Saenz
Zech Saenz (He/They) graduated from UIndy in 2019!
His favorite show was It’s a Wonderful Life, where he played George Bailey. He then went on to earn his MFA in theatre design at Michigan State University. He then taught costume design and construction at the University of Buffalo. He is happy to be back at his alma mater.
“You can say goodbye and you can say hello, but you’ll always find your way back home.” -Hannah Montana
Director’s Note
A key element in adapting works of art from the past involves finding ways to make the source text applicable to a modern audience. The idea of adapting Shakespeare has been a common practice since the same century in which Shakespeare wrote most of his most popular works. English poet Nahum Tate adapted King Lear in 1681 and, to align with the streak of sentimentality popular on the English stage, changed the original to end happily. In his 1996 film, director Baz Luhrman kept the language of Romeo & Juliet intact, but filmed it in a modern context, substituting guns and tattoos for swords and sigils. Finally, in 2022, playwright Jame Ijames moved Hamlet from Denmark’s Elsinore Castle to a southern black family’s outdoor summer BBQ in his piece, Fat Ham. The current production takes us from the political backdrop of Scotland’s 11th century to the collision of rural southern identity and big business interests in contemporary America.
In her study on adaptation, scholar Julie Sanders states that “Shakespearean appropriation serves as a cultural barometer of changing tastes, issues and values” (64). How we view the character of Macbeth changes given the period in which the play is set. In some iterations, Macbeth is filled with misguided hubris, in others, it is bloodthirsty ambition, and in others, he is an almost witless bystander to his own tragedy. Whichever way the story is told, adaptations serve to make works of the past come alive to new generations. As you gather to see our take on the Scottish tragedy, I welcome into the conversation other adaptations and interpretations, merging past experience with the current one. All point to similar questions. What was Shakespeare’s original interpretation? Is there a wholly faithful way to interpret this character? Might one interpretation bring us closer to understanding the tragedy? What might this interpretation add to an understanding of this piece? These are questions I would be honored to have you ask as you watch our production.
—Grant Williams
Director, UIndy Theatre
Sanders, Julie. Adaptation and Appropriation. New York: Routledge, 2016.
Acknowledgments/Thanks
To the cast and crew (students of THE 170: Experiential Theatrefor their hard work and dedication to the show
To Kelly Schmidt, Zech Saenz, Marissa Castillo, and Scott Russell for sharing their gifts and skills and adding so much to our production
To the Student Manager crew of UIndy Theatre: Axel Osborne (Design/Tech), Rae Cook (Social Media), and Natalie Sayer (FOH)
To Dr. Stephanie Wideman, Lou Crum, and the Department of Communication
To Creative Grounds Fine Arts Academy
To Ashley Keller and the UIndy Marketing/Communication Team
To the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences and the University of Indianapolis
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