''Dunsinane'' is a 2010 play by David Greig. It premiered in a

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

production at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

from 10 February to 6 March 2010, directed by RSC Associate Director Roxana Silbert and with leads including Siobhan Redmond and Jonny Phillips.

Plot

The narrative is formed by the events following the defeat of

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

by Malcolm and an English army in the Battle of Dunsinane at the end of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

’s play ''

''. In Greig’s version, Lady Macbeth is known as Gruach. Having outlived her second husband Macbeth, after she had Macbeth kill her first husband, Gruach continued to enforce the Moray claim to the throne via herself and her son by her first marriage. The playwright parallels the attempted

nation-building Nation-building is constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state. Nation-building aims at the unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable and viable. According to Harris Mylonas, ...

by the English leader Siward and the continued bloodshed against the English occupying forces with contemporary events in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. 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.

Adaptation

A radio adaptation premiered on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

directed by Roxana Silbert and with original songs and music composed by Nick Powell on 30 January 2011. The cast included:

Tour

The National Theatre of Scotland has toured the

production since 2011 to theatres in Scotland, England, China the main land, China Hong Kong, China Taiwan, Russia and the United States. In Scotland, the play was staged at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh from 13th May to 4th June and at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow from 7th June to 11th June 2011.''Dunsinane'' flyer, National Theatre of Scotland, 2011

Notes and references

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsinane (Play) 2010 plays Plays and musicals based on Macbeth British plays Plays set in Scotland Plays based on real people