SA ‘Macbeth’ set for Craiova Shakespeare fest
CLASSICAL theatre company Abrahamse & Meyer Productions will fly the country’s flag high at one of the largest and most prestigious Shakespeare festivals in the world in Craiova, Romania.
The local company’s new production of Macbeth will premiere at the 11th International Shakespeare Festival between April 23 and May 6 in Romania.
It will be featuring among more than 25 performances that will be presented by theatre companies from 13 countries.
In line with the festival’s theme of “Planet Shakespeare” this year, the event’s organisers have invited productions from each of the world’s continents to showcase as diverse a range of the Bard’s work being currently staged around the globe, said Abrahamse & Meyer co-founder Marcel Meyer.
The festival will feature Shakespearean productions from Japan, South Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, UK, France, USA, Australia, Canada and South Africa.
This is the third time Abrahamse & Meyer Productions had been invited to present one of their productions at this significant bi-annual event.
They made their European debut in 2014, when their award-winning threeman staging of Richard III opened to great acclaim in Romania.
The International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova had since 1994 presented productions by some of the world’s most respected theatre companies and directors.
Stage luminaries such as Sir Peter Brook, Robert Wilson, Thomas Ostermeier, The Berliner Ensemble, CheekBy-Jowl, Shakespeare’s Globe and Propeller had all been presented at previous editions of the festival.
The company returned to the festival in 2016 with their six-man staging of Hamlet, a production that received a 15-minute standing ovation at the festival and currently plays in Cape Town, at the Artscape Theatre, until April 21.
The company leaves for Europe immediately after the final performance of Hamlet at Artscape. Abrahamse & Meyer have reimagined Macbeth as a tour de force for a company of six actors.