The Summer Shakespeare Festival Brings Macbeth to the Stage

It is that time of year again! The Old Globe is prepping for their annual Shakespeare Festival. In years past The Old Globe has produced Twelfth Night, Othello, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This year the chosen Shakespeare masterpiece the festival will be producing in June is Macbeth, directed by Brian Kulick. One of Shakespeare’s shorter works, Macbeth is filled with suspense, tension, and emotion. It is argued that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in respect to the heritage and homeland of King James I. It's claimed that King James descended from the historical Banquo! The Old Globe Theater is loosely modeled after the original Globe Theater that Shakespeare had designed.

Macbeth features Jonathan Cake (Cymbeline, Medea, and The Philanthropist on Broadway) in the title role and Marsha Stephanie Blake (Orange is the New Black, Broadway’s The Merchant of Venice) as his LadyMacbeth. The cast also includes Jerome Preston Bates (Seven Guitars and Stick Flyon Broadway) as Duncan, Clifton Duncan (The Scottsboro Boys at the Globe) as Macduff, Brian Keane (Timon of Athens at The Public Theater) as Ross and 3rd Murderer, John Lavelle (The Royale at the Globe and Off Broadway) as Porter and 1st Murderer, James Joseph O'Neil (Broadway’s Present Laughter) as Lennox, 2nd Murderer, and Seyton, Mark Pinter (Othello and the Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Globe, 2014) as Old Man and Siward, and Timothy D. Stickney (five-year company member with Stratford Shakespeare Festival) as Banquo.

The Old Globe has been performing Shakespearean works since its beginning in 1935. Over the last 81 years, the Old Globe Theater has become an attraction and asset to San Diego and the Arts. The theater has enriched not only the history of San Diego, but it continues to do so today and will continue to do so in the future with their performances on the three stages in Balboa Park. The Old Globe is not the only attraction to be found in the park, so make a day out of coming to see Macbeth. 

Situated in Balboa Park, the Old Globe has three different stages: the historic Old Globe Theatre, the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, and the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. The Old Globe puts on fifteen productions annually. Closed Mondays and holidays, performances are held throughout the rest of the week, and times can be found on their website. New productions are always in the making; if you enjoy attending plays, make it a habit of checking out their upcoming performances, not just the Shakespeare Festival. 

If you are planning to make a day out of the event, there are museums and art galleries to see, gardens to walk through, or the San Diego Zoo--situated in the northern part of Balbo Park--to explore. Balboa Park also has nineteen gardens to peruse and take in such as the Australian Garden, the Desert Garden, or the Japanese Friendship Garden. There are also nineteen trails to explore if you are planning to start the day early. Balboa has seventeen museums to choose from if you would rather not hike a few trails in the morning, before seeing a show at The Old Globe. Choose from the Natural History Museum, Museum of the Arts, the Hall of Champions Museum, or maybe International Museum. There are many to pick from; go explore however many catch your fancy. 

Don’t forget to grab a bite before the show, whether or not you have spent the day in Balboa Park. There are fifteen eateries in Balboa to choose from such as the Prado or Panama 66, proudly serving locally sourced beverages and foods. The Old Globe has an outdoor food and beverage pavilion, known as Lady Carolyn’s Pub, open an hour before curtain through intermission. The pub serves hearty soups, crisp salads and an assortment of desserts. If none of these beckon you to sample their fare, The Old Globe has a list of restaurant suggestions available on their website for your perusal. 

Brian Kulick, former Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company from 2003-2016, will bring Shakespeare’s Macbeth to life on the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theater stage. Kulick is a faculty member at Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre. He has directed numerous Shakespeare plays throughout his career. With his experience, Macbeth will undoubtedly be an exceptional performance by cast and crew, and electrifying for the audience to take in and enjoy the master piece by Shakespeare.

Running from June 19 – July 24, with shows start at 8:00pm on select nights. Don’t miss out on an unforgettable performance written by one of history’s most iconic playwrights and directed by the talented and experienced Brian Kulick. Come watch as the cast and crew bring to life the tragedy of Macbeth. Prophecies will be made, murders and treason committed, and battles will be fought. The Old Globe is putting on an amazing production, and no one should miss out on the chance to see Macbeth brought to life!