Egyptian Theatre’s YouTheatre will give William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” some “cattitude.” Instead of a Scottish general who, inspired by witches and his crazy wife, tries to steal the throne by killing his king, the show, which runs Friday and Saturday, is about felines in a junkyard fighting for dominance, according to the production’s director, Dan Varas, YouTheatre’s creative content developer and artist educator. The idea emerged in 2024 during a YouTheatre camp called Silly Shakespeare, which is held every year. “We break things up into age groups, and (I) always get the youngests because I was a pre-school teacher for a long time,” Varas said. “Since it’s kind of hard to do Shakespeare with younger kids, we decided to do themed Shakespeare.” Prior performances include an emo “Hamlet,” set in the early 2000s, and a “Romeo Juliet” that was set to the game Capture the Flag. “So every time someone was killed, they would pull their flag back and die a dramatic death,” Varas said. With “Meowbeth,” Varas fell back on a long-standing superstition that forbids anyone from saying “Macbeth” in the theater.  Legend has it that real witches put a curse on the play in 1606, and if anyone said the title out loud they would have to turn around three times and spit, according to Varas. “So, when I was teaching the kids, I told them, ‘Just so you know, this show famously has a curse on it,” he said. “So what we dedicated to do was call it ‘Meowbeth,’ and they all pinky promised.” The 2024 production ran 10 minutes, but was a hit with the audience and performers. “So, when YouTheatre staff discussed what they were going to do with the younger group this spring, they decided to mount a full production of ‘Meowbeth,’” Varas said. This weekend’s version runs 30 minutes, and the actors memorized the actual Shakespearian script, which has been edited to fit time constraints. YouTheatre Education Director Amy Livingston and YouTheatre Director of Education Outreach Amanda Anne Dayton, who have studied Shakespeare extensively, helped the kids interpret the script, Varas said. “Amanda made a script that has the Shakespearean lines with a translation next to them,” he said. “So as we learned the script, we would speak the Shakespearean lines but refer to the translation. Also, one of my assistant youth directors’ parents are actors and improvisers. And his bedtime stories were all Shakespeare. So, it’s been so much fun.” Aine Brown portrays the Murderer in the Egyptian Theatre’s YouTheatre production of “Meowbeth” that runs Friday and Saturday in the Randy Barton Black Box Theatre. Credit: Photo courtesy of Dan Varas Dayton also serves as the production’s prop designer and has been busy making pieces that fit in the junkyard set, Varas said. “She has been making garbage bags that are actually giant black pillow cases — and the cats will lay on those or on some boxes,” he said.  The murderer, played by Aine Brown, always plays with a dead rat, and the three witches wave cat-toy wands and stir up a giant sardine tin with a smoke machine that serves as the witches cauldron, Varas said. “Every so often with this job, we stop and say, ‘We get paid to do this,’” he said with a laugh. “I mean, Amanda came up to me one day and asked if the ‘intestines were juicy enough,’ and I said, ‘They can be juicier.’”  The cast, comprising third and fourth grade students, are on stage for most of the show, which requires them to stay in “cat-ritures,” Varas said.“There is a lot of background acting the kids have had to learn to do as cats, and they are just so into it,” he said. “They’ve been phenomenal.” The show does address some dark themes such as murder and suicide, so Varas and his team make it a point to check in with the cast at every chance. “We work with kids who have special needs all the time, and we get support from their parents and from our teachers,” he said. “We tell the kids they can talk to us if there is ever a point in this process where they feel uncomfortable or scared.” With that in mind, Varas quoted YouTheatre Artistic Director Jamie Wilcox, who said the production “Is masterclass on turning things into teaching lessons.’” “Even little things — if someone had a bad day or had some issues with others in the cast — we turn those things into a lesson to show why theater is so powerful and the importance of working in a group,” he said. “We show them that there are not small parts, because even if one actor is missing, it’s very noticeable.”  Varas has also noticed the growth in the actors’ and stage crews’ confidence throughout the process. “When we started, one of the moms took me aside and told me her daughter thought she was too young for the show and was nervous,” he said. “I told her that we have her back, and the daughter, along with the other cast members, are just killing it. It’s been a lot of fun.” Other parents also notice the confidence, according to Varas. “When we did ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ a few seasons ago, I had a dad come up and fist bump me,” he said. “The moms always come up to me, but when it’s the dad, it’s something else. And he said, ‘When my kids come home from rehearsal their confidence levels are through the roof. So thank you.’ So, I had this Park City dad make me cry.” Varas, the cast and the production crew are dedicating “Meowbeth” to Philip Shepherd, who is directing other YouTheatre production, “Something Rotten Jr.,” that will run May 8 and May 9. (See accompanying story.) “His older cat, Angel, just recently passed away, and the kids really liked the idea of dedicating our show to him,” Varas said.  ‘Meowbeth’ by Egyptian Theatre’s YouTheatre When: 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday Where: Randy Barton Black Box Theatre 330 Main St. (Downstairs) Cost: $10 for adults and free for ages 17 and younger Phone: 855-0745-SHOW Web: parkcityshows.com The post ‘Meowbeth’ is a catty take on a tale of murder and intrigue appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less