Photos: First Look at Quintessence Theatre Group's MACBETH

Quintessence Theatre’s Season XIV is currently presenting William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, on stage through April 21st at the Sedgwick Theater in Mt. Airy.

Check out production photos below!

The play that carries with it the lore of a curse so that many will only refer to the title as “The Scottish Play,” Macbeth chronicles the ends to which one couple will go to grab and hold political power, and the destruction that follows. Gripped by his own ambition and spurred on by his wife, a Scottish general and war-hero turned King leads a prophesied journey of greatness, tyranny, murder, and madness. Macbeth is directed by Quintessence Producing Artistic Director, Alex Burns.

In a reflection of original Shakespearean casting, the Macbeth cast of eleven is all male-identifying. In addition, a team of Philadelphia-based special effects designers will bring to life the supernatural and horror elements of the play. Burns has assembled a cast of Quinessence regulars and actors who are making their Company debuts. Acclaimed Shakespearean actor Scott Parkinson* will play Lady Macbeth in his QTG debut. Other debuts include Owen Corey, Jamison Foreman*, Corneilus Franklin*, Vaughn Meccod, River Moore, Christopher Patrick Mullen*, and Zachary Valdez.  Quintessence is also welcoming back Daniel Miller, who is playing the titular King, Lee Thomas Cortopassi, Joshua Kachnycz, and Ken Sandberg*.  

Macbeth is set to run March 14-April 21. Opening Night is Saturday, March 23 at 7:30PM. All performances are at Quintessence’s home - the historic Sedgwick Theater located at 7137 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy.  Tickets start at $25 and are available online at www.quintessencetheatre.org. A Pay-What-You-Can performance is March 14th at 7:30PM.

“Macbeth, specifically, is a play that investigates the function of violence, sanctioned and illicit, to establish power," said Burns. "It is a masterpiece that interrogates the sources of human ambition, the lengths to which an individual will go to achieve and hold power, and the repercussions of violence on the human psyche. By embracing its theatricality, all-male Shakespeare will allow us to push the limits of the horror that this play demands.”

Playing Macbeth is Daniel Miller. Miller returns to QTG after appearing in the smash hit Mary Poppins as both Neilus and Bert. He recently appeared in Beauty in the Beast at Walnut Street Theatre. Scott Parkinson is cast as Lady Macbeth and is making his Quintessence debut. Parkinson, who was in the Broadway cast of The Coast of Utopia, is a Shakespearan actor based in Chicago and he played Queen Margaret in Ed Hall’s Rose Rage in Chicago and Off-Broadway. 

Quintessence regular Lee Thomas Cortopassi plays MacDuff. He has many Quintessence credits and returns to the Quintessence stage after appearing in Major Barbara this season and Mary Poppins and Waiting for Lefty last season. Ken Sandberg, who last appeared at Quintessence in 2015’s The Three Musketeers, returns to play Ross.   Joshua Kachnycz, who appeared in last season’s World Premiere of Written by Phillis, returns to play Lenox. 

Christopher Patrick Mullen, who recently appeared in Assassins at the Arden and A Christmas Carol Comedy at Hedgerow makes his Quintessence debut as Duncan. Rounding out the cast is: Corneilus Franklin as Lady MacDuff; Jamison Foreman as Witch 2;  Owen Corey as Malcolm;  Zachery Valdez as Angus;  and Vaughn Meccod plays Banquo. River Moore is making his professional stage debut as the MacDuffs’ son. All other roles are filled out by the Ensemble. 

Director Burns also designs the set and the sound. Kelly Meyers, who designed the costumes for QTG’s The Chairs and The Wizard of Oz returns as Costume Designer. Costume design will be informed by Jacobean fashion, 20th century Scottish military plaids, and design inspiration from Alexander McQueen. Sean Bradley, who has appeared on the Quintessence stage previously as an actor, returns as the Fight Director. Special effects including masks, heads,  will be created by Gianna Zulli and Barbaric Yawp Workshop. John “JP” Pollard* is the AEA Production Stage Manager, Leslie Ann Boyden is the AEA Assistant Stage Manager* and Cat Brennan is the Assistant Stage Manager. Bess Rowan is the Intimacy Choreographer. Ellen Moore is the Production Manager.

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