It’s always exciting to get a glimpse of the future, even if that glimpse is somewhat murky — as it decidedly is for the character Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Happily, that is not the case with the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy’s Summer Repertory presentation of Macbeth, w here — to judge by the performances and the production — the future shines bright for both the acting class of 2026 and those who helped develop the skills presently exhibited on STC’s Klein Theatre stage.  Every summer, newly minted graduates of STC’s classical acting academy present two, usually contrasting productions as the culminating project of their intensive training program. This summer, graduates are presenting Macbeth and Twelfth Night in repertory, with actors taking roles in both plays. One never knows what a student presentation may offer. In this case, it is solid, often standout, acting; strong, imaginative directing; unusual clarity of line delivery and interpretation; attention-grabbing choreography, sound, and lighting design; and huge bunraku puppets!  Michael Girts as Macbeth in the STC Academy production of ‘Macbeth.’ Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company. STC Academy Director Alec Wild, who also directs this production, grabs our attention from the very beginning and never lets up. He visualizes the play’s exposition with an impressively choreographed battle scene in which military-fatigued warriors wield massive bamboo poles in martial arts fashion. Meanwhile, Macbeth’s heroic exploits are recounted in a political briefing room news conference overseen by King Duncan (an appropriately strong Anna Marzullo, in a traditionally male role). The martial choreography, reprised in the climactic battle at the play’s end, thrills; the news conference (a conceit repeated at the top of the production’s second act) underscores the fact that this is a story about politics as well as personal ambition, about how and by whom a story is told. (Audience members may be reminded of a certain U.S. president and the people who headline his news conferences.)  Wild makes a number of significant directorial choices in this tightly framed production. One is the casting of female actors in the traditionally male roles of Duncan and princes Malcolm and Donalbain (ably played by Kira Cornell and Sofia Hernandez Morales, respectively). Lady Macbeth is not the only woman with agency in this production. Another thing Wild does is find creative ways to illuminate Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s psychology. A good example is in Act 2, Scene 1, when Macbeth (a resolute Michael Girts) thinks he sees a ghostly “dagger of the mind” leading him toward Duncan’s bedchamber. This is usually accomplished with various special effects, but here, it is Lady Macbeth herself (an expressive, powerful Bridget Campbell) who wields the dagger that “marshalls” her husband to Duncan’s murder. We know she has a special power over her husband in the play’s early scenes; here that power is visualized through a perfect metaphor.  Wild also finds ways to open out motifs in the play. We see, and not only hear about, Macbeth’s assumption of the throne of Scotland through a pantomime scene where he and Lady Macbeth are jointly crowned. And Wild offers closer observation of Lady Macbeth’s psychological disintegration than is found in many productions (and, some would argue, in the play itself). Cracks in her stony composure become apparent as soon as her husband starts talking about more killing. At times, we see her alone, on the far side of the stage, in spotlight, staring back at Macbeth and the center of action. After the disastrous banquet scene, in which Macbeth sees (or thinks he sees) Banquo’s ghost, Campbell’s Lady M hurries back to that lonely outpost to slurp a goblet of wine — anything to calm her increasingly rattled nerves. The sex appeal and mutual obsession with power that once held Macbeth and Lady Macbeth together has turned to suspicion and even terror. By the time Lady Macbeth reappears in the sleepwalking scene (Act 5, Scene 1, wonderfully presented here), it is no surprise to find she’s gone mad. And Campbell brings the same clarity and intensity to that portrayal as to the more collected Lady Macbeth earlier in the play. TOP: Kimberly Colisch, Kendall Kent, and Julian Cividanes with puppet witches; ABOVE: Bridget Campbell as Lady Macbeth and Michael Girts as Macbeth, in the STC Academy production of ‘Macbeth.’ Photos courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company. By contrast, Michael Girts’ Macbeth is somewhat opaque. Despite a wonderfully clear line delivery — a hallmark of the entire production — we don’t always see the shifting emotions underneath. To some extent, this inscrutability is built into the production’s characterization of Macbeth. He’s a killer who enjoys a good laugh, and who can shadowbox with Banquo’s son Fleance — and seemingly enjoy himself — just moments before setting his murderous henchmen on the boy and his father. In other respects, Girts’ Macbeth retains a sense of lost innocence and even sympathetic vulnerability, at least until the play’s final scenes. All of the child characters in the play, including Fleance, are performed with doll puppets. The wisdom of this, not entirely clear in the beginning, becomes apparent in the attack on Macduff’s castle in Act 4, Scene 2. The extreme violence of this scene — the slaughter of children along with adults — is hard to stage and hard to watch, while some of the dialogue between Lady Macduff and her son, meant to foreshadow near-future events, can strike a modern audience as melodramatic. Wild avoids these problems by employing puppets, which embody childlike innocence while offering the safety of distance. We know they are not real. Nevertheless, the killing of puppets — surrogates for children — in this scene is deeply moving, especially that of Macduff’s son. He is manipulated by Julian Cividanes, who plays Macduff himself. As we watch the puppet son in his death tremors, we cannot help but wonder what the “father” is thinking.  That connection adds emotional power to the next scene (Act 4, Scene 3), in which Macduff, exiled at the English court, learns of the murder of his wife and children. It is one of the most powerful sequences in the play and a moment for Cividanes to shine, which he does. His grief is palpable, for us as well as for the other characters on stage, and Wild wisely gives the moment room to breathe. Here as elsewhere, thoughtful pacing underscores the emotional tenor of the action. Wild also employs puppetry for the witches, which are large bunraku-style puppets with gnarly faces and arms. Nevertheless, they speak in somewhat dulcet tones, reminding us of their peculiar appeal to Macbeth, not only as prestidigitators, but also — at least in this production — as seductive sources of female power, like his wife. Especially noteworthy is the giant puppet of Hecate, principal of the witches, who shows Macbeth the future in a series of fantastical silhouettes. (The impressive puppet design is by Ksenya Litvak.) There is much else to applaud in this production, including Minjoo Kim’s light design (lightning, silhouettes, back scrim projection), Cidney Forkpah’s military costuming (with a hint of tartan for the Scots), and Matt Nielson’s atmospheric sound design, which sets the emotional tone and shakes us in our seats at the knocking at the gates in the famous porter scene (Act 2, Scene 3). There, Claire Hilton swaggers, cajoles, and banters with the audience in a comedic role that straddles the terror on either side of it. If any play seeks to divine the future, it is Macbeth. In this tightly run, well-acted, well-designed production, we know that future is good. Congratulations to those who are students no longer! Running Time: Approximately two and a half hours, including intermission.  Macbeth, produced by the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy, plays July 22, 24, and 25, 2026, at the Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC, in repertory with Twelfth Night. Tickets ($25; $40 for both Macbeth and Twelfth Night) are available online. MacbethDirected by Alec Wild Program notes and credits for the cast and creative team are here. ...read more read less