Macbeth stars Daniel Craig and Ruth Nega discuss theater’s resilience and accessibility during a pandemic

Sam Gold wanted the show to last, and that meant at least one night of watching the director’s long-awaited film. Macbeth had to escape Literally Go ahead, book in hand.

Prior to the play’s review on April 14, Gold played actor Michael Patrick Thornton as Scottish nobleman Lennox after the actor had a breakthrough with COVID-19.

“One of the things that came to my mind was a wonderful scientist, Peter Smith, who I thought was a genius and who was for Malcolm,” Gold said. the hollywood reporter Before the opening night of the Broadway show. “When I didn’t get the show that night, people couldn’t see them and wanted them to go on. “If I had intervened, I would have ensured they stayed the night.”

Thorton was among the actors who praised Gold’s leadership, not just for the timing, but for the entire effort to host the show during an unprecedented season in which the show’s lead, Daniel Craig, saw it as a matter of breaking away from the norm. COVID. .

“I don’t think there’s a better captain right now to try to do this great show on Broadway than Sam Gold,” said the actor, who is also a co-founder of The Chicago The Gift Theater. THR Inside Macbeth Mat. “The captain arrives by boat and fights until the last second, and that’s how it happened. “I’m sure it was scary, but it came out and 1,000 people were able to try our game.”

For star Granta Coleman, who had Gold as a teacher, it was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”.

“I’ve always seen him like that and I’ve worked with him until now, he’s been amazing,” he recalls. But that night it was like, “Oh wait, are you going to be here with us? East How much do you care about the show?’”

For Ronald Emily, a researcher, Gold’s approach has come a long way in terms of his level of preparedness. “I think we are more important, more relevant and needed than ever before in the history of Broadway, to be honest. And he was amazing directing Sam on this thing. I feel like I shouldn’t obsess over the plays because Sam made the process as easy for us as it was for the actors. “It just mixes him up and sets him apart from other directors I’ve worked with before.”

“We hire more people to make sure the actor is covered, the vulnerable are covered. “There are versions for versions and everyone has time to rehearse,” said Philip James Brennon. THR About the show and the approach to continuing the performances. “Because we are in a pandemic, many of them [understudies] They’ve moved on, so it feels like they’re different amazing actors.”

The Macbeth The director’s turnaround on stage was remarkable, but he is by far the only non-traditional replacement on Broadway this season. Behind every shock and scout surviving at the last minute after the spread of COVID, some of the lead actors failed to perform, the shows brought back the creative team, former actors and even the family for their last attempt.

Thoughts of a Colored Man Playwright Keenan Scott II was one of the first to get involved, replacing the cast member with COVID during the fall of his show. Ex Bad Researcher Carla Stickler retired from Broadway and traveled from Seattle to New York to interpret the alphabet. s A girl from a northern country. I just saw the star of Sea Husband Sea Winningham, emergencies s best weapon Actor Anthony Edward took the stage to avoid the play’s cancellation.

Researcher Jared Canfield called the “public effort” beautiful and subtly reflected in the show’s communities. “It’s an ambition, but it also comes down to humility. You say, “Hey, I can do this. “I can take care of you tonight or whenever you need me,” he said. “This show was very ambitious but also persistent to get to this point, which is really cool to celebrate.”

Craig also called collective resilience and teamwork “inspirational.”

“We had an insufficient investigation. One night, Sam Gold was still with the book. “I mean, the adage is that the show has to go on,” he said. “And I’ve seen it everywhere. Went to see my friend Sam Rockwell american buffalo The next night they had a wonderful study. It’s the same now and the audience knows and understands that.”

For the actor, who calls New York his home, for audiences now, the performance is especially personal. “The city is defined by its culture,” he said. THR. “Its culture is what creates it and is what draws millions and millions of people here every year to experience it. And if we can help you revitalize that culture and its cultural heart, here I am.”

The pandemic has forced some truly creative decisions straight into the theater as shows work to support themselves and the life of the industry. This is the kind of insistence that is evident in Barbara Broccoli in Shakespeare’s story, of course, between the power-seeking and ultimately guilt-ridden main characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth played by Craig and Ruth Nega.

But as for the main stage duo, persistence can be a difficult concept, especially when there are human interests involved, as it is constantly placed in the pandemic theater scene.

“I think in our industry there are a lot of calculations between the primacy of the show and the health of our artists and the health of our audience. “It’s a one-size-fits-all tightrope act, so we get along well as we go along,” said Thorton. “One remarkable thing is that the status, treatment and respect of our researchers is growing dramatically. They are part of the process and they are on the same level as the actor I saw in the room. I hope this is something we’ve learned from the pandemic: it’s a comprehensive effort. There are no first and second grade levels.”

This equalizing mindset is also being used behind the scenes, with the initiative to produce its own student tickets, offering a fully funded 2022 ticket to the Tony-nominated play to high school and college students who have historically been underrepresented in the public. from Broadway. and Broadway. Including BIPOC communities, first generation university students and people with disabilities.

This is Tony-nominated actress Lady Macbeth, Nega, whose relationship with the theater as a young woman, according to her, was “like breathing” thanks to her mother, valued both from a personal and artistic point of view.

“Theatre and art in Ireland are not class-based. In water, in blood, in everyday life. “He’s in the parish, you know?” she recalled. And when I was at the National [Theatre] in London and [Nicholas] Hitner introduced 10 10 tickets, which was revolutionary, but something like this is really needed. For me it is the least elitist art and still inaccessible to so many people. It just doesn’t make sense to me so [program] Give it meaning.”

Craig shared a similar sentiment in Liverpool, about his own experiences growing up near the local Everyman Theatre.

“I also grew up in a country where there was a subsidized theater, which is a whole different game, but that means access was available to everyone,” he said. “I feel like without him, Broadway won’t be around for long. We need a new audience. “We have to bring people here,” he added. “I want as many people as possible to see this show, and those who aren’t normally allowed to watch will be able to see it.”