Conservatory to Open Macbeth Later this Month

SARASOTA – No theater season is complete without a bit of Shakespeare, and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training will bring local audiences one of the bard's most famous masterpieces, Macbeth, opening February 24 and running through March 13 at the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for Performing Arts in Sarasota.

Since 1849, Macbeth has had nearly 50 Broadway runs and over 10 adaptations for film and television in the U.S. and around the world. It has been adapted into numerous books, has had dozens of performances on the radio, and has influenced artistic pieces by Henry Fuseli, Johann Zoffany, and others.


The revered Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, returns from war as a hero in the service of his king. Upon his arrival home, three witches intercept him to deliver a mysterious prophecy, declaring him the future King. The promise of power births a deep desire for the throne, and when his wife, the Lady Macbeth, hears of his foretold fortune, she spurs him to take action. Rampant ambition and desperate pride turn hero to tyrant–and reveal the twisted affects that evil can have on a man's mind in what is perhaps the most renowned tragedy ever to overtake the stage.

"This seems to me Shakespeare’s most haunting play," said director Jonathan Epstein. "In no other play do we experience such suspense and at the same time such certainty about what must happen. In no other play is the bond between the couple at the center of it so visceral, so sensual, so complex or so destructive. It is a dark and fatal world illuminated by flashes of brilliant, deathless imagery."

A seasoned Shakespeare actor, director and teacher, Epstein has more than 25 years of experience working with Massachusetts' Shakespeare & Company, as well as numerous roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in London's West End. He currently teaches Shakespeare acting technique to the second-year class of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory.

For ticket information, visit the Asolo website.