School Production: Macbeth

"It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman,Which gives the stern'st good-night."

All of our Girton school productions have taken a might fell this year with the impact of Coronavirus restrictions and social distancing requirements. As theatres have shut down globally, many performing artists are suffering from the loss of creative work and income. But a small cast of dedicated Girton students persisted with the intention to perform a Senior School play in the Black Box. 

For the last six months, we have fought valiantly to adapt to COVID restrictions to develop and rehearse Shakespeare’s Macbeth. What began as a proposed production at the Ulumbarra Theatre continued online with the aim to present a live-streamed Zoom performance at the end of Term Two. During the first home isolation last semester, our VCE Unit 3 Theatre Studies Production Team, led by Directors Kody Austin and Tayla McArthur, conducted rehearsals three nights per week via Zoom Video Conferencing. But the desire to perform on stage was too great for our cast, who, once able to return to school, voted to continue rehearsals in the Girton Black Box Theatre for a performance at the end of Term Three. 

Our small cast of 17 students ranging from Year 7 – 12, willingly attended 2 full days of rehearsals at the beginning of the term break. Term Three began back at school with high hopes and excitement. On the first day back for students, Kody Austin and Douglas Andrews worked solidly for two and a half hours after school with professional Fight Director and actor Lyndall Grant, who Zoomed in to the Black Box from Melbourne to choreograph the start of the final combat between Macbeth and Macduff. Lyndall continued to Zoom in for stage combat training sessions once per week with members of the cast, assisted by Ms Mandy Ellison and Bendigo-based Kristen Gleeson, who are both trained in stage combat techniques and safety. Lyndall, originally from Bendigo, acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Science before following her passion to work in theatre. Lyndall has worked as an actor and Fight Director here in Australia and in the UK, and is the Movement Director and actor in the Melbourne production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Currently, on a forced break from her role in the Potter production with the closure of all theatres due to COVID, Lyndall was excited to have the opportunity to work with our students. She praised on their dedication and exceptional ability to adapt and learn quickly to combat training through the Zoom platform. 

But Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair. The second wave of COVID restrictions has forced us back into remote learning and sadly, our production of Macbeth has ceased.

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous spirit and commitment of the cast members who have adapted to change, demonstrated resilience and collectively worked together to keep the option of a production viable against the odds. Macbeth is a story that resonates in our time now. Pride, conceit, ambition, greed, destruction are all around us, but out of the darkness, there is always hope and the opportunity to make change. As always, I am very proud of the students who work above and beyond to invest in their artistic passion and cannot wait for our community to once again be enthralled by the talented performers and tech students we are lucky to have at Girton. 

In the words of Lady Macbeth, we forge ahead, ‘screw our courage to the sticking place’ and repeat, ‘Out Damn Spot, out I say’.

Stay safe and be ready to support live theatre when once again the magic is allowed to happen.

Mrs Mandy Ellison

Head of Drama

Thank you to the cast of Macbeth who have put in an incredible amount of time and effort:  

Kody Austin – Director / Macbeth

Maggie Ryan – Lady Macbeth

Danai Mahachi - Banquo

Ronell Masiboy – Banquo

Eric Johnson - Fleance

Douglas Andrews - Macduff

Georgia McMillan – Witch 2 / Lady Macduff/Ensemble

Lucy Kitching – Witch 1

Eliza Griffiths – Witch 1

Eliza Christie – Set Design /Witch 3 / Murderer/Ensemble

Tom Marchant – Macduff’s son

Leonard Keats – King Duncan

Lochie Read – Lighting Design/ Set Design/ Malcolm

Kai Humphrey – Malcolm

Salisa Lambert – Lighting Design/Donalbain/ Messenger

Matilda Schier – Ross / Ensemble

Tayla McArthur – Director / Angus

Jack Smith – The Porter/Seyton

                           Indi-Mara Bodin – Lady Macbeth’s Attendant/Murderer/ Ensemble

Oliver Lowther – Doctor/Ensemble

Jack Garnett – Technical Director/ Sound Design