Shakespeare’s ‘macbeth’ Performed in Traditional Kabuki Style at Colorado State University

Colorado State University will present William Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" performed in traditional Kabuki style and completely in Japanese, at 8 p.m. Dec. 2-4 in the Black Box Theater in Johnson Hall on Colorado State’s campus. English subtitles will be provided. Tickets are $3 for students and $8 for the public.

The performance is the culmination of a semester’s work by students in the Theatre Workshop in Foreign Language class. The students engage in a visually and intellectually stimulating presentation which explores the similarities between Shakespeare’s script and Japanese values of honor, courage and wisdom.

"This play is a great way to raise campus awareness and international understanding," said Mako Beecken, professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. "It shows how two cultures can merge and yet respect each other. We are trying to bring colorful grandeur and dramatic exaggeration into a Shakespearean play and recreate the atmosphere of both the Kabuki and original Shakespearean theaters."

The production is made possible by funds from the Toshiba International Foundation and Colorado State’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Music, and the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, international education and the Asian Studies program.

Tickets are available at the Box office in the Lory Student Center. Box office hours are noon – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon – 2 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, contact Nick Ishimaru at (970) 391-2296 or Mako Beecken at (970) 491-5275 or masako.beecken@colostate.edu.

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