“Is That a Play I See Before Me?”: HDA Presents Macbeth

Anvi Pathak ’26 Assistant Arts Editor, Jo Reymond ’26 Assistant Arts Editor

From April 27-29, the Hopkins Drama Association is performing Macbeth by William Shakespeare at the Woodbridge Pool Club.

From April 27-29, the Hopkins Drama Association is performing Macbeth by William Shakespeare at the Woodbridge Pool Club.

Due to the ongoing construction of the new performing arts center on campus, Macbeth marks Hopkins’ first show in the temporary theater, dramatically affecting the performance and the experiences of the cast and crew. Production Stage Manager Beyla Ridky’24 talked about the new space: “The actors are learning to work in the round, which is very different from an acting point of view.” A show “in the round” features audience members on all sides of the performers, so the actors are viewed from every angle, “which means that [they] can have more naturalistic movements,” according to Abigail Murphy ’23, who plays one of the three witches in addition to being one of the heads of HDA. She explained that if they “are not facing one side of the stage [they] are facing two, so [they] can walk more freely.” Leila Hyder ’24, who played Lady Macbeth, conveyed excitement for acting in the round. She said, “There is an audience on both sides of the stage so you’re not confined to looking directly out into an audience — you have people watching from behind you and in front of you.” She emphasized that “it’s something that [she’s] looking forward to.”

Both Hyder and Silas Webb ’24 (Macbeth) addressed the challenges that come with playing titular roles. Hyder stated that she “sometimes gets intimidated by [Lady Macbeth], because many people have read Macbeth and have their own opinion about her.” Hyder also expressed what a “strong and driven [character] she is, and how I look up to that.” Similarly, Webb said, “[The role] does come with nerves and pressure [but] I’m just really look-

ing forward to pushing myself and seeing what I can make out of it.” Many challenges arise with every production and now the renovation. Despite this, Hartup believed the renovation would be an “amazing challenge,” elaborating, “Challenges and limitations often breed creativity and I think this is going to give us an opportunity to be incredibly creative.” Murphy anticipated that the show would be “very valuable for the Hopkins Drama Association because [they] have spent so long in this one building.” Over the course of rehearsals, the cast grew closer and shared how the experience helped them develop

actors. Bar Avraham ’26, who played a variety of roles, expressed her joy at getting to work with many seasoned actors. She stated, “[It’s] really cool to start seeing the show come together, and I love learning from so many talented actors and amazing people.” Webb added, “I look forward to seeing how this process will shape me as an actor.” While discussing some of her favorite memories of Macbeth, Hyder recounted how her favorite scene was “the banquet scene, where Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost for the first time, because it’s fun to be with so many members of the cast at once.” She added, “I also really like Act 2 Scene 3, because it’s a scene where I get to fake-faint.”

Many people talked about how the performance affected them personally. Webb spoke about the effects playing Macbeth had on him: “Knowing that I have the space everyday to try and get into that character’s mental state is what gets me out of bed everyday.”Avraham shared that during the rehearsal process “[Director Hartup did] a great job at including everyone in the cast in the performance.”

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“Is That a Play I See Before Me?”: HDA Presents Macbeth