Katherine MacAlister talks to the lead actors from Creation Theatre’s new vision of Macbeth – performed at Lady Margaret Hall and set during WWI

The part of Macbeth is one that Edinburgh-born Scott Ainslie has been lusting over his entire life. Now his time has come to play the iconic Shakespearian role with one of the most inventive theatre companies — Creation.

No pressure then?

“I’m a Scottish lad so this is a role I’ve always wanted to play and it’s great to be given the opportunity. But with that comes a great weight of responsibility because so many actors have paved the way before me, although as soon as I saw the site and understood Creation’s concept I knew it would be really exciting.”

Never one to do things by the book, Creation has set Macbeth outdoors at Lady Margaret Hall, using its role as a WW1 hospital to frame the play, the cast playing recovering officers.

“They are using the building to its full potential so this really will be site-specific theatre at its best,” Scott agrees.

“I think we have got something quite unique going on here.”

Scott and Laura Murray, who is playing wife Lady Macbeth, have been hard at work to bring their difficult relationship alive on stage, grounded in bereavement, not unusual during WW1.

“There has to be something that keeps them together, so for us it’s about their children and their relationship after their son has died,” Scott explains.

With eight shows a week to perform, Scott says he’ll be relying on stamina to get him through the long run until September 13.

“Maybe I’ll take a snooze between performances,” he jokes, “because it does take it out of you, but I’m up for the challenge and feeling good about it.”

Laura agrees and is loving being back in Oxford, having studied here as a student at Oxford University’s Magdalen College, before going to drama school. Back now to tread the boards she can’t wait to begin unravelling one of Shakespeare’s most complex female figures on stage.

“While Lady Macbeth doesn’t seem to have many redeeming features, she is recently bereaved and this is set just after her son died which gives a different layer to her character. I try to reveal a new layer to her, because although she is feisty, she is frustrated by living in a man’s world and having to live vicariously through her husband without any real power, relying on the status of her marriage. So it’s an intriguing role to play and a real challenge to explain why she’s acts the way she does.

“She isn’t a lightweight character or a sex object. She’s a really intelligent woman and in an adverse way, just trying to survive. You may not agree with what she does but I want to show that Lady Macbeth is not a total monster. She doesn’t need to be liked but I want to play her truthfully, so I’m really excited and it’s a massive privilege.”

So is it an all consuming part?

“I don’t go home harbouring murderous thoughts if that’s what you mean,” laura laughs, “but I'm looking forward it and it’s a great opportunity for me. What’s being done here is bold, relevant, engaging and accessible theatre and I think the audience like being surprised, so it’s good to be a bit different. And besides, Creation has only continued thanks to the goodwill of the people of Oxford and we want to repay them. That’s our motivation.”

Macbeth runs at Lady Margaret Hall from August 1 to September 13. Box office at www.creationtheatre.co.uk or 01865 766266.

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