MACBETH MENU: Home — About — Reviews — Sponsors — Support — Video

Are you affiliated with a school group that would be interested in experiencing Shakespeare in performance? We have an oppertunity for you to embrace!

On this page you’ll find information on our production, why Shakespeare in-performance is important for students, and links to interesting resources to help students and teachers prepare to witness Shakespeare in performance.

What are you embracing? 

Embrace Theatre is proud to present Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a 70-minute adaptation that is perfect for schools. The Saskatoon StarPheonix called our last short-form Shakespeare “a great way to get people hooked on Shakespeare” and we want to do just that! All performances will be open to the public, but we aim to engage directly with schools to give students an engaging, first-hand introduction to Shakespeare – not on the page, but live on the stage in front of them. Our adaptation keeps the integrity of The Bard’s writing while stripping the story down to its roots, creating a performance that is readily accesible to those who are being introduced to this intense and wonderful play for the first time. An exciting team of Saskatoon theatre professionals with national (and global) experience is dedicated to bringing this great tragedy to life – and to working directly with schools, students, and partners to create a dynamic, personal connection to the performance.

We’re looking to adapt our offerings to the needs of Saskatoon students. To find out about how we can connect your students with Shakespeare, please contact us!

Why embrace this project?

Simply, Shakespeare intended for his works to be seen and heard: plays are meant to be performed, not only read. The plays are for everyone, intended for the audiences that paid a penny to stand and watch as much as they were created for Kings and Queens. They are plays about humans, for humans, and therefore transcend any time period and remain relevant to current events. There is a common belief that Shakespeare’s language is so elevated that it requires advanced training and a specific cultural upbringing to understand. It is our belief that if the actors are one hundred percent committed to the audience and the text, both the actor and the audience can engage with the heart of the play, without educational or cultural barriers.

To increase access to theatre in-performance, and thanks to our generous partnership with AKA Artist-Run, we are pleased to offer special school-group pricing for matinee performances!

Resources for School Groups

Below are links to great resources for students and teachers related to Macbeth or Shakespeare in general:

Shakespeare and Company’s Macbeth Guidebook – a comprehensive introduction to Macbeth, prepared for a different abridged production of the play; the guide includes a primer on preparing students for experiencing Shakespeare in-performance.

Original Pronunciation – a 10-minute video explaining how Shakespeare’s words would have been pronounced when it was first performed and how that affects how we understand them