Importance Of Studying Macbeth At The Arden Theater

With the introduction of new mediums of technology, we often wonder why people still go to theatres to watch live plays and performances. Isn’t it just easier to sit at home and watch them on the convenience of ones laptop? Theatre enthusiast would completely disagree with this. Theatre is something that is irreplaceable, being able to watch a show online is great, but watching actors perform on a stage in front of you has a different feeling all together. A few days ago, I went to see Macbeth at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia. Prior to this, I had only watched musicals and plays on Broadway so I didn’t really know what to expect from this performance. One thing I must say is that I loved the theatre itself, it was unlike the other theatres I had been to. It was much smaller, had a small round stage at the front and had a very quaint, inclusive look overall.

When I studied Macbeth in high school, our textbook had little side notes which described the ‘feeling’ of a particular scene, we all knew that this scene was supposed to be a eerie one, but only upon watching the play did I realize it. As soon as it began, there was dramatic lighting, thunder clattering, and everything I had imagined when I read the book, except that this time, I actually felt it. The girl sitting next to me wasn’t really paying attention initially, but as soon as she heard this, she actually was a bit scared and taken aback, which is the exact emotion to this opening scene. The audience plays a very vital role during a play; their expressions and reactions can make or break a performance. Every individual sitting in the audience differs from one and other in some way, therefore one of the toughest things the actors have to achieve is to somehow keep all of them interested and make sure they feel