By Imi H and Milla C, Year 11

On the opening night of Macbeth in the West End, a number of Year 11s were taken to see a live production of Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre,  featuring David Tennant. This was helpful for us to see, in order to provide us with a greater understanding of the play. We found this production to be particularly interesting due to the unusual use of sound. Throughout the play the audience wore headphones, which created a more ominous, immersive atmosphere. Through the headphones you could not only hear the actors’ voices, but also additional sounds such as the live folk music and sounds such as birds. This portrayal created an enticing, captivating performance.

In this portrayal of Macbeth, we thought that the way in which the opening scene was produced was especially interesting. This was due to the sound effects and the eerie voices of the witches that were used, which created a tense atmosphere. This scene was performed in complete darkness, which emphasised the confusion in which people felt. Having the quiet whispering of the witches through each ear created a sense of uncertainty of what was going on in the audience. This was very different to other portrayals of Macbeth, as there was no physical presence of the witches. Despite this, we found this to be more effective, as it made it feel more as though it was in Macbeth’s head, enhancing the supernatural atmosphere of this scene. Following this scene we saw Macbeth come onstage to wash his hands and body of blood, which effectively continued these feelings of confusion. Overall, we found that this trip was extremely beneficial to our learning of Macbeth, helping our understanding of the play.

Thank you so much Ms Hanbury, Ms Silvester and Mr Rodgers Endersby!