Dunsinane (play)
Encyclopedia
Dunsinane is a 2010 play by David Greig
. It premiered in a Royal Shakespeare Company
production at the Hampstead Theatre
from 10 February to 6 March 2010, directed by RSC Associate Director Roxana Silbert and with leads including Siobhan Redmond
and Jonny Phillips
.
Its narrative is formed by the events following the defeat of Macbeth
by Malcolm
and an English army in the Battle of Dunsinane
at the end of William Shakespeare
’s play Macbeth
. In Greig’s version, Lady Macbeth is known as Gruach
and outlives her second husband Macbeth (she had had Macbeth kill her first husband) to continue to claim the Moray claim to the throne via herself and her son by her first marriage. The playwright parallels the attempted nation-building
by the English leader Siward
and the continued bloodshed against the English occupying forces with contemporary events in Afghanistan
and Iraq. He also includes the Shakespearean characters MacDuff and Malcolm, as well as introducing new characters such as Siward’s English subordinate Lord Egham and a chorus of English soldiers.
A radio adaptation premiered on BBC Radio 3
directed by Roxana Silbert and with original songs and music composed by Nick Powell on 30 January 2011. The cast included:
David Greig (dramatist)
David Greig is a Scottish playwright and theatre director.Greig was born in Edinburgh in 1969 and was brought up in Nigeria. He studied drama at Bristol University. He has been commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others.His...
. It premiered in a Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
production at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
from 10 February to 6 March 2010, directed by RSC Associate Director Roxana Silbert and with leads including Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. Her first TV appearance was in 1982 in a sketch show called "Nothing to worry about!" which then lead to the sketch show Alfresco...
and Jonny Phillips
Jonny Phillips
Jonny Phillips is a prolific British guitarist and composer. He played the violin and studied theory from the age of five however he swapped to guitar at fifteen to study Jazz, Brazilian and African music...
.
Its narrative is formed by the events following the defeat of Macbeth
Macbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
by Malcolm
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
and an English army in the Battle of Dunsinane
Dunsinane Hill
Dunsinane Hill is near the village of Collace in Perthshire, Scotland. It is mentioned in Shakespeare's play Macbeth.It has the remains of two early forts. This is believed to be the site of a battle where Malcolm Canmore defeated Macbeth in 1054...
at the end of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
’s play Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
. In Greig’s version, Lady Macbeth is known as Gruach
Gruoch of Scotland
Gruoch ingen Boite was the daughter of Boite mac Cináeda son of Cináed III. She is most famous for being the wife and queen of Mac Bethad mac Findlaích . The dates of her life are not certainly known....
and outlives her second husband Macbeth (she had had Macbeth kill her first husband) to continue to claim the Moray claim to the throne via herself and her son by her first marriage. The playwright parallels the attempted nation-building
State-Building
State-building is a term used in state theory. It describes the construction of a functioning state. This concept was first used in connection to the creation of states in Western Europe and focused on the power enforcement of state in society ....
by the English leader Siward
Siward, Earl of Northumbria
Siward or Sigurd was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname Digri and its Latin translation Grossus are given to him by near-contemporary texts...
and the continued bloodshed against the English occupying forces with contemporary events in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and Iraq. He also includes the Shakespearean characters MacDuff and Malcolm, as well as introducing new characters such as Siward’s English subordinate Lord Egham and a chorus of English soldiers.
A radio adaptation premiered on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
directed by Roxana Silbert and with original songs and music composed by Nick Powell on 30 January 2011. The cast included:
- Siward ..... Jonny PhillipsJonny PhillipsJonny Phillips is a prolific British guitarist and composer. He played the violin and studied theory from the age of five however he swapped to guitar at fifteen to study Jazz, Brazilian and African music...
- Gruach ..... Siobhan RedmondSiobhan RedmondSiobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. Her first TV appearance was in 1982 in a sketch show called "Nothing to worry about!" which then lead to the sketch show Alfresco...
- The Boy Soldier ..... Jack Farthing
- Malcolm ..... Brian Ferguson
- MacDuff ..... Ewan StewartEwan StewartEwan Stewart is a Scottish film, television and stage actor.- Life and career :Stewart was born Andrew Ewan Stewart in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila is still alive and lives in Arbroath, Scotland. Stewart was educated at Edinburgh's...
- Egham ..... Alex Mann
- Edward ..... Daniel Rose
- Eric ..... Joshua Jenkins
- Lulach ..... Sandy Grierson
- Hen Girl ..... Lisa HoggLisa Hogg-Career:Hogg voiced the character of Ellen in Folklore, a video game from PlayStation 3.She has appeared in various film and television productions including as Molly , in the film Across the Universe .-External links:...