Features the other press http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca Blood drips as witchcraft pervades warped version of Macbeth When one Macbeth is no longer enough, call in the alter egos. And while you're at it, twist time, give the three witches the starring roles they deserve, and shift the setting from Scotland to a netherworld controlled by witches. “It's Macbeth twisted but still very much the brilliant product of Shakespeare’s imagination,” says Douglas College Theatre instructor Allan Lysell, who is directing his students in Charles Marowitz’s 1969 adaptation of the tragedy. Presented by the Theatre and Stagecraft Departments, the bloodshed takes place March 21 to 29 at Douglas College’s Performing Arts Theatre. In many ways, this version is the witches’ play. “There is no other path for Macbeth,” says Lysell. “He is at the whim of the witches. The implication is that we are already predisposed toward evil. The witches just nudge us towards our evil thoughts.” And they have a very good time doing it. Lysell says: “They are very mean witches. They speak in riddles. To quote MacDuff, “They lie, they lie.’ They enjoy seeing people hurt each other and they enjoy seeing people get hurt.” The play reflects Elizabethan times when everyone believed in the power of the devil and the notion of succumbing to the dark forces. “The idea of unredeemable evil is still alive today,” says Lysell. “Look at Saddam and Hitler, leaders we consider to be evil incarnate.” Macbeth is but a pawn. His wife, the driven, ambitious Lady Macbeth is possessed by a fourth witch, Hecate, who drives her on as she pushes her husband towards his doom. There are three Macbeths— one is the Macbeth we know, the two others are his alter egos. When Macbeth objects to murdering Duncan, the alter egos goad him into the killings, putting the knife in his hands. In Marowitz’s version, the dialogue is straight Shakespeare, but the setting is transplanted from Scotland to a nightmarish netherworld controlled by the witches. Actors perform on a stage covered with peat moss in between five monoliths reminiscent of Stonehenge. No kilts for these actors. Costumes are post-Christian with a strong pagan influence. “It’s bloody,” emphasizes Lysell. “We have blood on people, we have blood on costumes, we have a head that drips blood.” There will also be swordfights, ghosts and apparitions. “Macbeth is a really great horror story,” says Lysell. “But it’s truly horrible because we identify with Macbeth and see his destruction. He is a bad guy, but everyone understands it.” Macbeth, an ONstage! presentation by Douglas College’s Theatre and Stagecraft departments, runs March 21 to 29, evenings at 7:30pm with a matinee on Saturday March 29 and no show on Sunday. Performances take place in Douglas College’s Performing Arts Theatre, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster (one block north of the SkyTrain station). Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 stu- dents and seniors. To order tickets, contact the box office at 604-527-5488. For group bookings, call 604-527-5279. For more information contact: Language, Literature and Performing Arts, Play Director Allan Lysell: 604-527-5281 Tracey Winters, Communications & Marketing Office: 604-527-5325 an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Adapted by Charles Marowitz March 12, 2003 Mary-woo Sims talks collective rights at Douglas College Are there times when a person’s individual rights impinge on the collective rights of others? Should freedom of expression be limited if the idea could cause harm to others? Or is freedom of expression so important to a vibrant democracy that it should not be restrained in any way? Mary-Woo Sims, the former Chief Commissioner of the B.C. Human Rights Commission, will share her reflections on these questions dealing with individual and collective rights, in a WomenSpeak presentation on March 19 at Douglas College. Another Womenspeak event focuses on the incredi- ble endurance and spirt of one Japanese-Canadian woman. On March 20, Linda Ohama will screen and discuss her film Obaachan’s Garden (Grandmother's Garden) in which one woman's family secrets spur four generations of women from a Japanese family to seek and realize a dream, revealing the magic of life. Mary Woo Sims speaks on Wednesday, March 19 from 12 to 2pm and Linda Ohama’s screening of Obaachan’s Garden takes place Thursday, March 20 from 7 to 9 pm. Both events take place in the Boardroom (room 4920) at Douglas College's New Westminster campus, 700 Royal Avenue. When you arrive, follow the WomenSpeak signs and take the elevator to the fourth floor, Fraser River side of building. This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation. Space is limited, so please reg- ister your space by phone at 604-527-5440 or on-line at http://www.development.douglas.bc.ca/women/co ntrolwomen.html. For more information, please call 604-527-5503. 1d 0k} 2 ee page 11 © 2a aie