Macbeth in time warp for SE theater-adapted production
by Tori Wilson, Reporter

   Theater-goers expecting a traditional staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth will find a different approach on SE Campus this week.
   John Dement, SE theater director, is directing his version of Macbeth, taking the time frame from the Elizabethan period and moving it to the early ’30s.
   Dement made only a few changes in the script.
   “It’s the same script with cuttings for the modern audience and for my actors as well,” he said.
   Dement said he kept the theme of power and corruption, the humor and the amount of violence. He also kept the same characters with the exception of a few characters with insignificant roles.
   Dement, in his second year at TCC, said he enjoys his job and likes to keep his audience well entertained with his plays.
   His goal was to target the play toward students 18 to 22.
   “I try to present [plays] in a way that the audience will find exciting,” he said.
   “I have rated it R, which might eliminate some of the high school students. It’s rated R because of the amount of killing that takes place,” he said.
   Dement praised his cast, saying all are coming along and working really hard.
   Genevieve Croft, a radio broadcasting major, plays Lady Macbeth. She has worked in six plays with Dement and actually appeared in four.
   “He is wonderful. He is very organized, and we always end up with a wonderful production. He makes rehearsals a very pleasant environment,” she said.
   Croft enjoys attending rehearsals because she believes they offer time for her to get away from everyday stresses. She thinks the turnout of this play will be good.
   “He has picked a good angle. It’s a good opportunity for audience members to learn a little Shakespeare,” she said.
   Dement believes there are two reasons to attend events like this play.
   “It’s good stuff,” he said.
   “The more art you are exposed to, the better of a person you become. It makes you more marketable.”
   The play runs Nov. 19-22 at 8 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. After Friday’s production, there will be a question-and-answer session for the audience.
   Tickets are free for TCC students, faculty and staff, $3 for seniors and other students and $5 for the general public.
   Call 817-515-3599 for reservations.