Celebrating nearly three decades of captivating performances, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company this year is showing Shakespeare's timeless tragedy "Macbeth." Theater enthusiasts can indulge in the immersive experience, free of charge, at the iconic Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common from July 19 to Aug. 6.
“We started Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in 1996, and the vision was to democratize theater … to take these great amazing stories and reconnect them to people, to everyone,” Steven Maler, the founding artistic director of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
Maler and actor Faran Tahir joined Boston Public Radio on Monday to talk about this year's production and their overall approach to theater.
Tahir was in the company’s first production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" in 1996. He's back in the spotlight this season in the formidable role of Macbeth. As an actor of Pakistani American descent, he said it's essential to preserve the story of "Macbeth" while layering in contemporary elements and his own experiences as a person of color.
“I think if we go too far into trying to make it [contemporary], then we lose the beauty of what the story is,” Tahir said. “But by the same token, just by the virtue of me playing this character ... that personal experience has to be folded in. I'm a Brown man playing MacBeth. So how do you fold in that history without making it an agenda? ... It's a delicate balance, but it's a necessary one. We can't just not address the fact that I'm playing it, but we don't have to address it so much that it just becomes about that. So it's a nice little challenge for us.”
Maler said "Macbeth" is a story everyone can connect with due to its themes of love, ambition and power — and it's a timely story, too.
In light of recent events such as the turmoil in Ukraine and the Jan. 6 insurrection here in the United States, director Maler emphasized the contemporary approach to the production of 'Macbeth.' He credited set designer Riw Rakkulchons for his exceptional craftsmanship in the play's visual narrative.
“So I think the world that you'll see out there on the Common feels like an urban warfare. It feels like urban structures that have been torn down by a civil war. That's not something that's remote in a way from it, but it's actually right on top of us. We're living around it and living in it,” said Maler.
Tahir thoroughly enjoys the thrill of performing on stage and immersing himself in the art of acting.
“I have always felt that audience is the final character in any play … the first question the other actors will ask is, ‘How is the audience tonight?’ That's why we say that no two performances are the same, because you're now locking eyes with the new character,” Tahir explained.
Maler shared a similar sentiment of how powerful theater can be.
“I love Netflix, but it's not the same thing. … This is something that's alive. It's happening and it's explosive. It's dangerous. It's happening in front of you in real time. The audience's heartbeats and rhythms start to synchronize and align over the course of a performance,” he said.
The director hopes that many people will come to see the play.
“The ability to spend $60, $40, $80, whatever the ticket prices, that's just not possible for many people. The whole reason of the company is to bring these works to everyone. And what's thrilling is to see people … multigenerational families there together, seeing people from all walks of life.”
“It is the greatest gift, and at least in my life, to be able to share these emotions because the emotions are not just going from me to them. I'm also receiving [the audience's] emotions at the same time,” Faran explained. “My father said the beautiful thing about theater is that it's the most altruistic of art forms. You create a moment. It is there, and then it's gone forever. I think that there's nothing better than that.”
