imitating the dog (UK Theatre Awards 2022 winners for Dracula: The Untold Story) have today announced full casting for the premiere of their audacious and dazzling new retelling of William Shakespeare’s tale of ambition, betrayal, and downfall – Macbeth.
The new production’s cast will feature Benjamin Westerby (All’s Well That Ends Well and Wars of the Roses, Royal Shakespeare Company) as Macbeth and Maia Tamrakar (Spring Awakening, Almeida Theatre and Rock, Scissors, Paper, Sheffield Crucible) as Lady Macbeth. The production will also feature Laura Atherton (Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix, imitating the dog), Stefan Chanyaem (Living Archive, Royal Court Theatre) and Matt Prendergast (Dracula: The Untold Story & Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix, imitating the dog) as the Witches/Ensemble.
Three mysterious figures enter the stage. They talk of the hurly-burly, of thunder and lightning, and of a young couple who believe they can overthrow the old regime. They conjure the Macbeths, placing them in a dangerous new world where paranoia, betrayal, and brutality rule.
imitating the dog’s daring retelling of Macbeth is a neon noir thriller where Shakespeare’s original language collides with startling new scenes, stunning visuals, and a powder-keg intensity.
imitating the dog have been making ground-breaking work for theatres and other spaces for 25 years. Their work, which fuses live performance with digital technology, has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people in venues, outdoor festivals, and events across the world. Past productions have included Hotel Methuselah, A Farewell to Arms, Heart of Darkness, Night of The Living Dead ™ – Remix, Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show and most recently Dracula: The Untold Story. Earlier this year the company staged Cinema Inferno, a ground-breaking new show for the Parisian haute couture house Maison Margiela, based on an original concept by creative director John Galliano, for Maison Margiela’s Artisanal 2022 collection as part of the official Paris Haute Couture Calendar.
Directed by imitating the dog’s Artistic Directors Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks, Macbeth will open at Cast, Doncaster from 21-22 February then will tour to Harrogate Theatre (24-25 February); The Dukes, Lancaster (28 February – 4 March); The Lowry, Salford Quays (8-11 March); Gala Durham (16-17 March); Mercury Theatre, Colchester (18-20 April); Liverpool Playhouse (25-29 April) and Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (3-6 May). The production will also be touring Switzerland from 21-25 March.
