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Education pack to accompany Belt Up Theatre's Macbeth by William Shakespeare in the House of Detention Clerkenwell.
Citation preview
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CONTENTS
page TWO production image
page THREE BELT UP THEATRE’S ‘MACBETH’
page four BELT UP THEATRE’S ‘MACBETH’ continued
page five WORKSHOPS and PRIVATE PERFORMANCES
page six WORKSHOPS and PRIVATE PERFORMANCES continued
page SEVEN WORKSHOP DETAILS
page EIGHT WORKSHOP DETAILS continues
page NINE PRODUCTION image
page ten PRODUCTION image
page eleven AN INTERVIEW WITH… MACBETH
page twelve Production SHOT
page thirteen thoughts on belt up theatre
page fourteen Production images
page fifteen production image
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THE HIT PRODUCTION RETURNS TO LONDON FOR A LIMITED RUN One of the greatest stories ever told and a terrifying new vision...
A haunting experience from the inimitable Belt Up Theatre, whose work has taken the UK by storm and has
been hailed as a company ‘changing the future of British theatre’ (The Observer) and as ‘Fringe Royalty’
(Time Out London).
Allow the strangers your hand and follow as they lead you far below the streets of London into the tunnels,
vaults and cells of Middlesex Prison. There begin your passage; a nightmarish journey into the mind of one
of literature’s greatest serial killers.
Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy is mounted by a cast of four that breathe life into the Scottish King and the
three weird sisters who guide him on his path to self-destruction.
Locked away from daylight within a reputedly haunted labyrinth you will join Macbeth as he struggles
through delusions and paranoia in this relic of Victorian punishment, bricks built one upon the other with a
single purpose, preventing the demons inside from being unleashed.
A prison, a workhouse, a system of cells; this is the House of Detention, Clerkenwell.
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From the award winning company that over its three year existence has gathered a huge following for their
no holds barred deconstructions of classic stories comes a nightmarish journey into the mind of one of
literature’s greatest serial killers. This ambitious new production sees Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy
mounted by an all-male cast of four that breathe life into the Scottish King and the three weird sisters that
guide him on his path to self-destruction.
In Belt Up Theatre’s signature style, audiences will not get the opportunity to relax back into their seats,
instead they will be led through the reputedly haunted labyrinth of the House of Detention Clerkenwell...
Belt Up Theatre was set up in 2008 by Dominic J Allen, Jethro Compton, James Wilkes and Alexander
Wright. They debuted to critical acclaim with an interactive production of ‘Metamorphosis’ in 2008 before
winning the Edinburgh International Festival award for their project ‘The Red Room’ that year. The
company are based in York where they are now resident company at the York Theatre Royal. Belt Up is
committed to producing fearless, adventurous and playful work that places its audience at the centre of
the wholly encompassing world of the production.
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Workshops and private performances Private Viewing Deals, Group Booking & Educational Discounts apply to A Level, IB and GCSE Groups.
After-show platforms can be arranged with the cast in advance, subject to availability.
The show is a brilliant opportunity for the following Key Assessment Objectives of several A Level and GCSE courses:
• An example of site-specific, promenade theatre.
• A page-to-stage example of pre-1800s classic literature.
• A juxtaposition to conventional productions of Macbeth retaining the original language and context.
In addition to seeing the show, the following workshops are available both onsite and offsite. We are able to focus
workshops on syllabus specific assessment objectives dependent on relevant subjects and units (See Workshop
Details).
Workshop 1: English Literature & Drama for GCSE
Relevant Courses:
English Literature
OCR Linked Heritage,
AQA Literature Unit 3
Edexcel Unit 2: The Writer's Craft
Drama & Theatre Studies
Edexcel Unit 2: Exploring Play Texts
OCR Unit A581: From Page to Stage
Unit A582: Drama in the Making
Workshop Size: up to 70 pupils and up to 5 teachers
Onsite Option:
1. Private viewing of Belt Up Theatre’s Macbeth at the House Of Detention. 2hrs
2. Platform with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discussing a selection of scenes and directorial, character and
atmospheric choices. 45mins
3. Question and Answer session. 15mins
4. Breakout session for groups of 7 to recreate scenes from the play onsite. 20mins
5. Watch and give feedback on performances. 30mins
6. Summary with final questions and answers. 10mins
Offsite Option:
As above but students should attend a public performance before the workshop.
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Workshop 2: English Literature & Drama for A Level
Relevant Courses:
English Literature
AQA 3.2 Unit 2 LITB2 - Dramatic Genres Edexcel Unit 2: Explorations in Drama
Unit F663: Drama and Poetry pre-1800
Drama and Theatre Studies
AQA Unit 1 DRAM1 Live Theatre Production Seen
Edexcel Unit 1: Exploration of Drama and Theatre
Unit 4: Theatre Text in Context
Workshop Size: up to 70 pupils and up to 5 teachers
Onsite Option:
1. Private viewing of a selection scenes from Belt Up Theatre’s Macbeth at the House Of Detention. 30mins
2. Platform with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discussing the scenes directorial decisions, comparing and
contrasting them with previous productions. 15mins
3. Comparisons of Jacobean archetypes in Macbeth to both other Shakespearian plays and those of his
contemporaries. 15mins
4. Question and Answer session. 15mins
5. Watch performance of Belt Up Theatre’s Macbeth. 30mins
Offsite Option:
As above but students should attend a public performance before the workshop.
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WORKSHOP DETAILS In order to gain the most from our workshops we have designed individual units to cater specifically to A Level and
GCSE English Literature and Drama/Performance courses across most exam boards. All on-site workshops will
include a tour of the space and many include the student exploring the venue as a part of their own research for
activities. Below are a few example workshops, however, we are always happy to cater our workshops to the
groups’ needs and time constraints – please be aware that some aspects of the below workshops will not be possible
away from the site.
PAGE TO STAGE What we will cover
• Why Macbeth?
• Why did we decide to stage the production as a promenade, sight specific piece?
• How did we interpret the script and what methods did we use to turn text in to live action?
Activities
• A discussion on why the script relates to the space and how the space may affect certain key parts of the
script.
• Selecting a site specific location around the space for a key scene.
• Staging and self-directing a key scene from the script, in the location found above.
MAKING A SHOW
What we will cover
• The devising process Belt-Up Theatre employs to develop their shows.
• Why the stylistic choices were made.
• How the director, producers, designers and actors collaborated to produce the show and how key points in
the productions process were encountered.
Activities
• Exploring the space – taking note of key entrances and exits and how this may affect the show you place
within it.
• Devise a short scene in the chose space or use and existing scene from a play.
• Present your show in the space – discuss whether the scene was successful and what changes you could
make to develop it.
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PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUE
What we will cover
• The characters in Macbeth and their characteristics, including voice, movement, gesture, posture and facial
expression.
• How these characters relate to archetypal character traits.
• How these can be physically staged.
Activities
• Selecting a range of moments from the script of Macbeth and dissecting the characters’ characteristics.
• Discovering how different spaces around the prison may affect the various physicalities of the characters.
• How would the characters would react if they encountered each other in different parts of the space.
THE STORY OF MACBETH AND ITS THEMES
What we will cover
• The story of Macbeth and its key events
• Themes throughout the play
Activities
• Breaking down the play in to key events.
• Exploring what themes and references throughout the show.
• Exploring Shakespeare’s commentary on politics.
• Why Belt Up Theatre have interpreted the play and placed the show in a site-specific venue to highlight
certain themes and aspects of the story.
THE CHARACTERS OF MACBETH
What we will cover
• An exploration of the characters in Macbeth and the parts they play in the story.
• Key interactions of the characters and their individual journeys.
Activities
• Character profiling and key interactions of main characters.
• Visiting the point in the venue where key interactions occur and discussing the ethical, moral, political and
social implication of the characters actions.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH… Macbeth (DOMINIC ALLEN) You're a very established actor, what for you is the biggest challenge when working with Shakespeare's language?
It's not a challenge, it's a joy. No other writer offers an actor such rich potential. The important thing about
Shakespeare's language is that the text will guide the actor through the play, through all the subtle and cunning
linguistic feats that Shakespeare creates. If you can put your faith in that and allow the language to do the work, one
generally finds that much of the hard work has already been done.
This is the third time you've played the character of Macbeth. What is it about the character that you find so
interesting?
Macbeth is a fascinating character because on the surface he's very straightforward. He kills the King, usurps the
throne, tyrannises Scotland and then gets his comeuppance. However, underneath all that his conscience is bubbling
away and it occasionally breaks out in beautiful or disturbing soliloquies. It then forces you to question what kind of
a man he is; then you discover that the possibilities are endless. It's very rewarding getting to play a character who
needs to be seen as a monster but also sympathised with as a human being.
How do you alter your performance in order for it to better suit an intimate and interactive production?
The piece has been developed for an intimate environment so it's not really a case of altering my performance,
though compared to playing Macbeth in a large auditorium one of the benefits I have is that I can make the scenes
as small as they ought to be. Obviously on a large stage even the most quiet and whispered of scenes needs to be
projected, whereas in this production soliloquies can feel much more private and personal and those beautifully dark
scenes where the Macbeth's are plotting and getting spooked by owls can be as still and quiet as the middle of the
night should be.
What specific challenges do you face when performing in a promenade show?
Logistics are a big problem. The logistics of shepherding an audience, the logistics of controlling what an audience
sees (because they can see everything, not just what you put right in front of them), the logistics of where you need
to walk to and via for your next scene, the logistics of where you set your props so you can pick them up en route,
etc. It's important to remember that it's not just the audience walking around, the actors are too. We've got
nowhere to call 'the wings' as such, and so nowhere really to hide if we get caught unprepared. As a result, as an
actor you have to be constantly on your toes.
The character of Macbeth goes on a long emotional journey through the show. How do you achieve this and
sustain it over a month's run?
Again, putting your trust in the verse helps achieve the important climaxes and anti-climaxes of the play.
Shakespeare has planted each and every twist and turn in Macbeth's arc very carefully. It's still important to gear up
for the play, psychologically speaking, as it's impossible to just go on and do it. A great deal of time is spent in
rehearsals working out who Macbeth is at the start of the play and who he is by the end of it, and a great deal of
time is spent getting into that character. As for sustaining it over a month run, the real key is not losing sight of the
nuances and changes that Macbeth goes through, and making sure they're never lost or glossed over. Finally, I'd say
that preserving one's voice and energy is key because every night Macbeth not only has to soliloquise a lot, he also
has to commit murder, be tormented by ghosts and then fight to the death; and that's a lot of effort when you're the
King.
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THOUGHTS on belt up theatre
‘As one of the teachers who accompanied the school trip to see Macbeth yesterday and I wanted to drop you an e-mail to let you know how much I enjoyed the production. My class loved it too and were so excited about it in their English lesson today that I could barely shut them up for five minutes!’
Kate, KINGS College SCHOOL
‘Your work is insiprational and I feel a must for A level Theatre Studies Students.’ LIZ , Gravesend Grammar School for Girls
‘I saw three of your shows this year at Edinburgh and was mesmerized
by your adaptations of such well known texts. I would like to join your mailing list for details on your workshops available and up and coming performances, becuase I feel it would be beneficial for our group to see how theatre should be devised.’ Sarah, Repton School Derbyshire
‘I saw your performances of Odyssey and Quasimodo at the Lowry and all I can say is WOW. Your sort of work makes me remember why I love Drama and the theatre so much and why I teach Drama and the Arts to young people.’ Ruth, Unity College in Burnley
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