Berkeley Rep Sets Full Cast of MACBETH, Starring Conleth Hill & Frances McDormand

Berkeley Rep presents Shakespeare's dark and violent tragedy on the Roda Stage. This classic exploration of the ominous side of ambition tells the story of a couple bound together in their thirst for the Scottish throne. Driven by an evil prophesy and his scheming wife, Macbeth kills the king and claims his crown, thus beginning a moral descent into a reign of terror.

Macbeth starts previews Friday, February 19, 2016 and runs through Sunday, April 10. Press night for Macbeth will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016. Individual tickets start at $35 and can be purchased by phone at 510 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.

Directed by Daniel Sullivan and starring Conleth Hill (Macbeth) and Frances McDormand (Lady Macbeth), this production boasts a trifecta of talent. The three seasoned artists have undertaken Shakespeare previously, but this will be the first time each has been involved in a Macbeth production. "This is absolutely thrilling," says Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep's Michael Leibert Artistic Director. "To have people of this caliber and talent and desire and ambition, it just doesn't get any better than this."

For his critically lauded and numerous Shakespeare in the Park productions, the New York Times has called director Daniel Sullivan's work "absolutely splendid" and rendered with "passion, expertise and uncommon intelligence." Says Sullivan, "Macbeth with its hugely theatrical supernatural effects (witches, hallucinations, and ghosts at the dinner table) is a daunting directorial challenge. To have these amazing actors by my side, I know we will create something incredible for Berkeley Rep's audience."

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Daniel Sullivan (Director) won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Proof, and he was most recently nominated for another Tony in 2011 for The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino. Daniel most recently directed The Country House, The Snow Geese, Orphans, and Glengarry Glen Ross on Broadway. For the Public Theater, he directed A Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stuff Happens, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The full cast for Macbeth, in alphabetical order, includes:

· James Carpenter (Duncan and Porter) has appeared in over 30 Berkeley Rep productions since 1984, including most recently Head of Passes; Pericles, Prince of Tyre; Three Sisters; and The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

· Scott Coopwood (Lennox) Scott is a seasoned Bay Area actor whose many Shakespeare credits include title roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, Cymbeline, and King John. He is also co-executive director of Shakespearience!, a Bay Area nonprofit education program for kids.

· Derek Fischer (First murderer) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. He has worked with numerous companies throughout the Bay Area, including SF Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, PianoFight, Sleepwalkers Theatre, Town Hall Theatre Company, the Bay One Acts Festival, Cutting Ball Theater, and others.

· Gene Gillette (Bleeding captain and Seyton) recently completed the national tour of War Horse in which he played Ted Narracot for the National Theatre of Great Britain, and has appeared with many regional theatres across the United States.

· Conleth Hill (Macbeth) is a highly acclaimed actor on stage, film, television, and radio, as well as a writer and director. Conleth has received accolades for his stage performances in New York and London including an Olivier Award for his work in Stones in His Pockets, and several Tony Award nominations for his work on Broadway. He currently appears as Lord Varys in HBO's Game of Thrones.

· Christopher Innvar (Banquo and Siward) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. Other collaborations with Daniel Sullivan include King Lear at the Delacorte Theater and Sharr White's The Snow Geese for Manhattan Theatre Club.

· Eddie Ray Jackson (Donalbain) was last seen at Berkeley Rep in X's and O's (A Football Love Story) and reprised his role at Center Stage in Baltimore. He was seen off Broadway at Classic Stage Company in Much Ado About Nothing, and his regional credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Marin Theatre Company, and Magic Theatre, among others.

· Korey Jackson (Macduff) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. His New York stage credits include appearances at the Public Theater and Playwrights Horizons, in addition to numerous film and TV projects.

· Paul Jennings (Mentieth) is a Bay Area actor returning to Berkeley Rep. In 2013, Paul was selected as an International Fellow at Shakespeare's Globe, London.

· Billy Eugene Jones (Ross) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. His Broadway credits include A Raisin in the Sun, The Trip to Bountiful, The Big Knife, The Mountaintop, Passing Strange, Radio Golf, and Gem of the Ocean.

· Leon Jones (Macduff's son) is a Bay Area native, who is making his Berkeley Rep debut.

· Adam Magill (Malcolm) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. His Bay Area credits include performances at SF Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, Shotgun Players, City Lights Theater Company, and FaultLine Theater.

· Rami Margron (Witch/Gentlewoman) is returning to Berkeley Rep after appearing in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. She has performed locally with California Shakespeare Theater, Crowded Fire Theater, Intersection for the Arts, The Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Shotgun Players, among others, as well as with several dance companies.

· Frances McDormand (Lady Macbeth and Witch) is making her Berkeley Rep debut. On Broadway, she received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance in David Lindsay-Abaire's Good People directed by Daniel Sullivan. Recently, Frances received an Emmy for her performance as the title character in Olive Kitteridge, which she also produced. She has appeared in many films, including Fargo, for which she received an Academy Award.

· Nicholas Pelczar (Angus and Second murderer) is making his Berkeley Rep debut. His Bay Area credits include performances with American Conservatory Theater, Marin Theatre Company, Pacific Repertory Theatre; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; Aurora Theatre Company; and California Shakespeare Theater.

· Tyler Pierce (Fleance) appeared at Berkeley Rep in How to Write a New Book for the Bible and Crime and Punishment. He has also performed with Utah Shakespeare Festival, Theatre @ Boston Court, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Guthrie Theater, among many others.

· Mia Tagano (Lady Macduff and Witch) is making her Berkeley Rep debut. She recently appeared in the West Coast premiere of Love and Information at American Conservatory Theatre and has also performed locally with Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, California Shakespeare Theater, and San Francisco Shakespeare Theatre. In New York, Mia worked with Daniel Sullivan at Lincoln Center Theater.

· Paul Henry and Devin O'Brien (ensemble)

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