Mmmbeth’s Cast and Crew: Up Close & Personal

Blood, killing, witches! RCMMS’s production of Mmmbeth was sensational, so now we can get to know our cast and crew.

by D. Dixon, March 11, 2020

What’s the deal with Mmmbeth?

At the start of the play, you likely wondered why they can’t say Macbeth. Even some professional actors steer clear of saying his name, instead calling it “The Scottish Play”. These fears stem from old rumors that the witches' chants used in the original play were real, and that actual witches cursed the play for exposing their witchcraft. It is also believed that Shakespeare cursed the play when it was rejected by his patron King James I. Yet another theory claimed that in the first performance of The Scottish play, the woman playing Lady Macbeth died right before the performance, leaving Shakespeare to play her part, or that real weapons were used in the play that killed the actor portraying King Duncan.

All of these were debunked. Even today, some actors still claim that injuries and disasters occur during productions of The Scottish Play due to the curse. However, there is a way to save yourself if you happen to slip out a “Macbeth”: leave the theatre, turn around 3 times, spit, curse, then ask to come back inside. Which I’ll do in a minute, just for safe measure.

Interviews

The Drama Team’s reaction to me asking for an interview was, well, dramatic. They were extremely eager to answer questions, and there were so many of them I decided to make a table so that they’re all included.

The Atmosphere

Like Maggie said, it’s a very judgement-free zone onstage. If you mess up a line, you’re likely to be laughed at in a friendly manner rather than shunned. For example, Brooke continuously mispronounced “Banquo” for most of the early rehearsals. Instead of getting angry, the rest of the cast helped her learn to say the name properly while also making a joke out of it. That’s just how it is in the theatre.

The theatre is a very friendly environment, which leads to the creation of many inside jokes. These I cannot share because of a certain dooming curse, but I can assure you that many actors had to hear Erin’s “Hee-hoo!” every day.

It’s also a school play, meaning it’s done in school. It’s not uncommon to see someone backstage doing homework during rehearsal, or to see someone helping them. We all help each other and work together.

Food

To say the least, food played an essential role in the success of the play. No rehearsal is complete without at least 5 minutes of snacking and chit-chat. Most likely, you’ll see someone toss an orange to their buddy with a loud “YEET!” Pretzel sticks are a very valuable rehearsal snack because they look cool and you can stick them next to your gums in your mouth to simulate fangs or mandibles.

Many actors become close friends through sharing snacks. Not to mention, food gives actors the energy they need so that they’re not grumpy during their scenes. Sharing snacks there is just another way to say “Hey bro, I got you.”

The Performance

Many. many things happened during the performance that weren’t exactly planned. However, as we say in the theatre, “The show must go on!”, and it did.

For example, I broke the mop in the final scene during the battle scene. Brooke and I had struck our “swords” towards together in a beat, but apparently she hit my mop too hard with her tennis racket, causing the former to break in half. Both our eyes widened and I hesitated for half-second before thrusting my “sword'' into Mmmbeth’s belly and beginning my victory dance.

Backstage, there was a lot going on: rubber band shooting, looking for a tiny plastic baby named Felipe, sword fighting, Renegade, and much more. It’s rather interesting to see so much activity with such little sound, since it’s important to remain silent backstage. If you're giggling and whatnot backstage loudly, the audience can and will be able to hear you. When people are being unprofessional backstage, it really lowers the quality of a performance because it's distracting and almost childish.

All in all, the cast and crew of RCMMS’ production of Mmmbeth was stellar, but the social atmosphere was more than what anyone who saw the play could understand. They worked hard, and it paid off. Can I say "Macbeth" now?

Our source, and for more information, see:

The Curse of the Scottish Play. Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved from: https://www.rsc.org.uk/macbeth/about-the-play/the-scottish-play