Flathead High School presents new take on ‘Macbeth’

Offering a fresh perspective on Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedy, Flathead High School Theatre is presenting “The Sisters Macbeth.”

Flipping traditional gender roles by creating a dominant and ambitious female Macbeth with a loyal sister spurring her relentless ambition instead of a spouse, this interpretation of “Macbeth” challenges traditional casting norms and creates new avenues for exploring themes of ambition, power dynamics, and the consequences of unchecked desire.

Performances will be held at 6:27 p.m. April 25, 26 and  27 in the David M. Hashley Theatre in the high school.

The classic story remains the same — when three witches deliver some surprising prophecies, Macbeth hatches a plan to murder the king and claim the throne for herself. Provoked by her sister and preoccupied with greed, Macbeth begins her tragic descent into madness with an insatiable lust for power that, in the end, brings an entire nation to its knees.

“Changing the play to ‘The Sisters Macbeth’ has been something I've thrown around since I thought about directing this show. It doesn't change the overall plot of the play; Macbeth's journey is still the same. However, all of the relationships in the story have possible new dynamics that have been very fun to explore, especially the dynamic between Macbeth and her sister. We are able to explore how well they know each other and how they can anticipate one another's thoughts and behaviors and how these patterns may well have been in play since they were small children,” said director Jen Stebbins. “There are multiple leads in the show that are women rather than men. Rather than the wife left at home and killed (the revenge point for MacDuff) her husband is left at home and killed. Two women fight to the death in order to restore Scotland to the rightful King. These moments in the play drastically alter the way we traditionally see gender in classic stories.”

Not only does “The Sisters Macbeth” flip the script with gender roles, this production demonstrates the power of theater to transcend time and place by setting this drama in the 1990s.

“These kids are so excited about the 1990s vision of this process! The clothes and the music have been very fun to explore and use to tell the story. Once you start looking at 1990s rock it's hard not to see the story of Macbeth everywhere,” Stebbins said.

The cast of “The Sisters Macbeth” includes Samara Hackley, Gracyne Johnson, Sophia Bennett, Lincoln McElwain, Fallon Maas, Olive Lyngholm, Aubrie Mannon, Meaghan Lindsay, Abbi O’Connell, Jamie Cummings, Bayliss Cummings, Nalani Sullivan, Dyson Linden, Myla Johnson, Lily Amundson, Brigham Schow, Sophie Herbert, Finn Hansen, Jacob Braach and Jax Stebbins-Han as Macbeth.

Behind the scenes, Cole Knutson, Axel Jones, Peyton Bicha, Andrew Johnson, Alessandro Pipelo, Mario Zavala, Ava Plum, Max Hawley, Paisley Boitkin-Smith, Simon Ort, Ali Putzler, Hadley Dennison, Iris Bruce,  Adalicia O’Brien, Elysia Hernandez, Ada Milner, Sam Randall, Danica Leuhr, Keelan Moore, Sophie Himsl, Salem Enos, Adisen Haag, and Mia Lamantia make up the stage, lighting, and sound crews.

Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $6 for children, students and senior citizens. Tickets may be purchased online at gofan.co by searching “Flathead High School,” or in the main office and Photo Video Plus.