Aina Malufau shields herself in a scene from “Macbeth. Also shown are, from left, Malia Dungee, Kaylin Poggi, Aeryn Berena and Elliott Platt,
When Miriam Necastro took over as Brookfield High School’s Drama Club adviser last summer, she knew she wanted to swing for the fences. But, she also wanted to do it in a collaborative way. So, she asked the students what they wanted out of Drama Club.
“A lot of them had said, ‘We’ve kind of fallen out of love with it.’” said Necastro, an English teacher and veteran community theater actress, but a first-time solo director. “Some hadn’t been in it for a number of years and they wanted to do something that challenged them, they were gonna have fun doing, that Brookfield had never done before.”
With those criteria ringing in her head, Necastro used a trip to New York City to stop in at the Drama Book Shop, a bookstore in Times Square that specializes in theatrical works, to talk to the folks there about her specifications – minimal set and technical requirements, challenging but pertinent to high school students – and get recommendations. She perused seven or eight scripts but did not want to choose one until after auditions.
Necastro had eight girls audition and one drop out, leaving seven – the cast requirements for Erica Schmidt’s adaptation of “Macbeth,” one of the plays she had learned about in New York. She had the girls read that play. Assistant Director Anne Sopher and English teacher Jessica Gardner, who teaches Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in freshman English, sat in for the readings, and they decided the girls could do the play.
“We have the opportunity to do something Brookfield’s never done,” Necastro said. “No one has done Shakespeare, outside of reading it in class.”
Elliott Platt, as Lady Macbeth, addresses her husband, played by Aina Malufau, at left.
The play is about seven private-school girls who meet outside of school for “Macbeth Club,” and put on the play. It’s not a straight production – there are modern props and references – but there are long sections where it’s just as Shakespeare wrote it.
“We’re not trying to make the audience believe that this is 1600s Scotland,” Necastro said. “This is supposed to be 2026, a field in Brookfield, a field in Masury, wherever it is that we are.”
“I think it’s really cool because I’m playing a character that’s playing a character, in a way,” said Elliott Platt, a junior playing Lady Macbeth. “But the character that’s playing Lady Macbeth doesn’t have an actual name. It’s me, myself. I’m playing myself as someone playing Lady Macbeth and it’s so cool because I can make my character be my own, in a way. I absolutely love it.”
Necastro, who was preparing for and acting in a play for ACTS in Sharon as the first part of the “Macbeth” rehearsals went on, said she wants the experience to be collaborative. She asks the girls what they think about blocking and the delivery of lines, instead of imposing her will.
“We’re all learning and working at this all together,” she said.
Director Miriam Necastro, left, works with the cast of “Macbeth.”
One of the major challenges to any version of “Macbeth” is the Old English language of the original. Elliott said she loves the descriptiveness of Shakespeare’s words.
“I think it’s really interesting,” she said. “I’ve ended up adapting some of it in my own language since I’ve been going over my lines. It can be a little hard to get a grasp at first but it’s really cool.”
Necastro said her main suggestion for delivering Shakespeare’s words is to slow down.
“It’s definitely hard,” said freshman Aina Malufau, who plays the titular Scottish king, whose lust for power leads to his downfall. “You can get stuck. It makes the way you talk very weird. With time, it works, as long as you take it slow.”
To get an up close and personal view of Shakespeare’s words, the audience will be seated on the stage. The actors will not have a lot of room to work.
“I tell them, when we block, when you’re standing in a group, think about when you’re standing in a group at your locker,” Necastro said.
“It’s definitely gonna be cool,” Aina said of the stage setup. “It may be awkward at times, since I have such long lines. I may look around and not know where I’m looking. But, it’s definitely fun.”
Aina, who has acted in school productions since fourth-grade, said she loves theater.
“It gives me a chance to express myself and I get to build my personality,” she said. “I can become a character. I can just be different things. I don’t have to be stuck in my own thing.”
The cast also includes Aeryn Berena as Banquo and Seyton; Keilani Malufau as Macduff; and Kaylin Poggi, Malia Dungee and Ava Giordano playing witches and numerous other roles.
“Macbeth,” which is recommended for ages 13 and older, will be staged at 7 p.m. March 26-28 at the high school. Seating is limited. Tickets cost $5 for students and $10 for everyone else. Tickets will be sold at the door, but also can be reserved by calling 330-448-3001, Ext. 5985, and leaving a voicemail.
