A Fierce, Modern Reimagining of Shakespeare’s Tragedy — December 11-13 @ 7pm and December 14 @ 2pm.
The Academy for the Performing Arts proudly announces its winter theatrical production, MAC BETH, running December 11–14 at the Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Center. Adapted by Erica Schmidt and directed by Abraham Adams, this gripping reinterpretation brings Shakespeare’s classic tale of ambition and fate into a raw, contemporary lens.
In Schmidt’s adaptation, seven young women—students at a present-day private school—take on Macbeth in a way that strips away politics and pageantry, leaving behind the sharp engine of the story: the dangerous pursuit of destiny, power, and self-determination. Most of the actors take on multiple roles, with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Macduff serving as the story’s emotional anchors.
A Story Reframed for a New Generation
Director Abraham Adams notes that the question at the heart of this adaptation is why young women today would choose a play like Macbeth—and why they would perform it in an abandoned lot after school. Adams proposes that the answer is autonomy: the magnetic pull of a character who refuses to bend to fate, even when tricked, threatened, or undone by her own choices.
“Macbeth is attractive as a character because she refuses to break,” Adams writes in his director’s note. “She believes she can shape the world around her—fortified by prophecy and the unwavering love of her wife—even when all signs warn her otherwise.”
The production leans into the glittering danger of the Weird Sisters, the unraveling of loyalty and sanity, and a final sequence that Adams suggests may echo the 2014 Slenderman case or stand as a collective outcry from young women refusing to be ignored any longer.
Designed entirely by our Academy’s student designers, this production features a breathtaking environment built with 4,000 pounds of sand and a six-minute rainstorm—yes, real water raining inside the theatre. It’s one of the most ambitious technical designs the Academy has ever attempted.
CAST
Madeline Cecere – Macbeth
Natalie Gerstenberger – Lady Macbeth
Stephanie Cohen – Macduff
Simone Conde – Banquo
EV Minotas – Witch 1
Charlie Speyer – Witch 2
Adeline Garcia – Witch 3
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director – Abraham Adams
Assistant Director / Fight Choreographer – Cameron Scott
Stage Manager – Chloe Link
Scenic Designer – Demiel Snyder
Lighting Designer – Mario Zingale
Costume Designer – Mackenzie Ipavec
Sound Designer – Ben Needham
Tickets available at www.chagrinacademy.org
