William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, one of his most popular plays, has been staged many times across the globe.
Students at Sonwa Sakuba Institute for the Performing Arts are set to stage their own rendition of Macbeth on October 19, inspired by African elements depicted in the costume design, music, and overall production. Award-winning director Xola Mziwakhe said the production was original in its artistic direction.
“We have reimagined the story of Macbeth and since we can’t use the Scotland backstory, we’ve added many African elements to the show. We have a cast of 20 talented performers, and we have even included female actors in roles that have always been performed by male actors,” said Mziwakhe.
“We also make use of both Shakespeare’s English and our normal English, in this way we are able to make it ours while still telling the original story.”
The overall set design was done by Sonwa Sakuba, who provided insight as well.
“I’ve worked with Xola [Mziwakhe] lots of times and I have taken into consideration all the ideas he has wanted to put on stage. We have created a set that is African but has a lot of different cultures,” said Sakuba.
The show runs from October 19 to 22 at the Sonwa Sakuba Institute at Hemingways Mall.
Tickets are available from any Pick n Pay outlet or online at webticket.co.za.
