Shakespeare Rep, in partnership with the University of South Carolina Beaufort, will present William Shakespeare’s <i>Macbeth</i> April 23-26 at the USCB Center for the Arts. The play is being produced by Jeff Evans, founder of Lowcountry Shakespeare, and directed by Debra Charlton, founder and artistic director of Shakespeare Rep.

Debra Charlton, new to the Beaufort area, holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she pursued specialties in Shakespearean performance, production and pedagogy.  She completed additional graduate work at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Oxford, England.

Charlton chose <i>Macbeth</i> as Shakespeare Rep’s debut production because it’s one of her favorite plays and one of Shakespeare’s most accessible. It also happens to be one of his shortest, and Charlton says she’s employed additional editing “to make sure the story really moves.” Charlton says working with Shakespeare is like peeling an onion. “Layer upon layer of new discovery. Always fresh and exciting.”

Taking on the role of Macbeth is Santiago Sosa, who has traveled to Beaufort from his home in Chicago for Shakespeare Rep’s premiere production. Sosa is a professional actor with an MFA in theatre and countless Shakespearean roles to his credit. His costar Erin Dailey is a Julliard-trained Beaufort resident — currently a student at USCB — who’s also done plenty of Shakespeare.

Performances will be Wednesday, April 23 through Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. A reception celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th birthday will follow the opening performance on Wednesday. For tickets, call the USCB box office at 521-4145 or visit www.uscbcenterforthearts.com.
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