Interview: Ray Fisher in MACBETH at The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ

A production of William Shakespeare’s masterwork tragedy, Macbeth is now being performed at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) through November 17th. Directed by the Theatre's Artistic Director, Brian Crowe, it features a superb cast.

Broadwayworld recently had the outstanding opportunity to see Macbeth with Ray Fisher in the lead role as Macbeth.  We interviewed him to gain some insights about his career and the show.

Fisher is in his third season with The Shakespeare Theatre, having appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird and the Shakespeare LIVE! touring productions of Midsummer, Nevermore, and Macbeth. Broadway: The Piano Lesson (Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Featured Performance) alongside John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. Off-Broadway: Fetch Clay, Make Man directed by Des McAnuff. Stage: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theater, and New York Theatre Workshop. He appeared as Victor Stone/Cyborg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League, and in the space epic Rebel Moon. Other select credits include the third installment of HBO's Emmy Award winning series True Detective opposite Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo and Stephen Dorff; and the limited series Women of the Movement. Ray will next be seen starring in the film adaptation of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson directed by Malcolm Washington, scheduled for release in November 2024 by Netflix.

(Photo Credit: Avery Brunkus)

When did you first realize you were destined to be an actor?

I don't think I ever really thought that I was destined to be an actor. I kind of just fell into it, liked it, and decided I would try it for as long as it worked. I just haven't gotten bored of it, and I think that it ended up becoming something that has been one of the most fulfilling things I could have chosen to do with my time. And there was a time before, and there'll be a time after. So if I ever decide that I would like to spend my time and energy doing something else, I am certainly not opposed to pursuing whatever that is. I just haven't found it yet.

Your credits reflect very diverse roles. What are the challenges of balancing a career on both stage and screen?

One of the unique challenges in balancing stage and screen work these days for me is just finding time to do it. Theater requires a different kind of involvement, and you have to be there six days a week, eight shows a week. And with film you can pop in, pop out. You may work two weeks and then be done with your part of it. But theater is a much more involved process, which I really, really love and I'm hoping to be able to continue to do more of it — scheduled depending.

We’d love to know some of your impressions of being a company member with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

Well, I mean, the greatest impression is that it's left this sense of community that I feel when I am working with the folks that I really love here at Shakes NJ. It feels like coming home in a way, and it's amazing to know that that same sort of spirit, that same sort of collaborative spirit exists now as it did back in 2009 when I first came into contact with Shakespeare here at STNJ.

Your portrayal of Macbeth is outstanding. How did you prepare for this demanding role?

For me, preparing for any role, and especially this one, it all goes back to the text. I feel like all the secrets that Shakespeare has laid out about the character, everything is within it. And so for me, it starts with the text. Then I get into the physicality of a thing, feeling how that character may move or walk, or how they may evolve or devolve over the course of a piece. And once we got into rehearsal, it became very clear what my end was going to be. As you see what other folks are doing, you're sort of creating interesting and sometimes conflicting interpretations of your character, so that way you're all playing a different instrument in the symphony of this Shakespeare thing we're creating.

Can you tell us a little about the cast and creative team that has brought Macbeth to the Madison stage?

I could tell you a lot about the cast and creative team that have brought Macbeth to the Madison stage. This is definitely one of the peak theater experiences that I've had. It's very demanding, and we had a shorter rehearsal process than as usual, but everybody has really been all hands on deck to help create what is, in my opinion, a really solid and thankfully scary production of Macbeth. 

Why do you think the time is right for audiences to see Macbeth?

I think the time will always be right for audiences to see Macbeth. It's a timeless classic for a reason. The things and the themes that we're dealing with in this play are the exact same things that we're dealing with in life. Even now, we're dealing with assassination, we're dealing with ambition, we're dealing with atrocities being committed in the name of folks who are reaching for power.I hope at some point it will not be relevant and that we can evolve beyond these things. But until that time, I think we're going to continue to see productions of this being created, especially the supernatural elements are always fun, but the deeper story that exists in this piece is one that is very human, and that stuff is actually to me, even scarier than what the witches and all the ghouls and goblins represent.

We are excited about your starring role in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson soon to be on Netflix. Can you tell our readers a little about it?

I think people are going to be really, really pleasantly surprised by how the film turned out. Anyone who is a fan of August Wilson's work and especially The Piano Lesson, this feels like an extremely faithful adaptation of that work. And Malcolm Washington, our director, and everybody involved for that matter, they were able to really pull out the heart of the piece and expand it in a really awesome cinematic way that I think people will be talking about for quite some time.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW readers to know!!

I would like for them to know that our show is closing November 17th, so they better get out here soon. Hurry up.

Tickets for Macbeth are on sale by visiting The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s website at www.ShakespeareNJ.org or by calling the Box Office at (973) 408-5600. The show runs for 2.5 hours with one intermission. Performances will be held at The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre located on the campus of Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ  07940.  Single tickets for Macbeth range from $39 to $77 and the Theatre offers a wide variety of cost-saving opportunities to explore.

Photo Credit for Ray Fisher’s Headshot: Imani Kyayyam

 

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