The reviews are in! Check out this great review from Gef The Mongoose here!
‘Even though I know the story, it all seemed so new’
‘Always interesting to see what the director does and where the filler scenes are but there’s no filler, it’s wonderful’
‘It just makes sense now, the words sounded more normal when they said it’
Macbeth is open! Our first show, exclusively for the Island’s secondary schools, is done and we welcome the public tonight.
Check out some of these amazing photos from PicsByCorraste of our dress run last night. More to follow!
Following the success of their previous sold out open-air production of The Merchant of
Venice, which received rave reviews, Parodos Theatre Company in collaboration with
VillaGaiety, is excited to return to the stage with Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Macbeth. Brought to the Gaiety stage this week, this gripping tale of ambition, power, and betrayal is
brought to life under the direction of acclaimed local director, Tony Eccles.
In a unique initiative to engage the Island’s youth, Parodos has scheduled a special morning
performance for the Island’s secondary school students. This aims to deepen the students’
understanding of this classic text, which is a staple in the GCSE and A-Level English and
Drama curriculum. Students will not only watch the performance but also participate in a
post-show discussion with the cast, exploring the play’s key themes and speeches.
Evening performances will be open to the general public, offering an opportunity for all to
witness this powerful production.
Co Founder, Alex Armstrong, shared his enthusiasm for the production:
“Bringing Macbeth to the Gaiety Theatre is a dream come true. Our talented cast and
crew have worked tirelessly to create a show that is both visually stunning and
emotionally compelling. We cannot wait to share this classic story with our
community during the 125th anniversary of the Gaiety Theatre’s opening.”
Parodos Theatre Company, in collaboration with VillaGaiety, present one of William
Shakespeare’s best known plays, Macbeth.
A gripping tale of ambition, power, and betrayal brought by the Island company behind the
2023 sell out open air theatre experience The Merchant of Venice. The performances will take place in the Gaiety Theatre, this year celebrating 125 years of entertainment, between 3 and 5 April 2025. Whilst evening shows will be open to the public, VillaGaiety will open their doors to the Island’s secondary school students for 2 morning performances.
A popular text for GCSE and A Level English and Drama, this production will help the Island’s
young people to engage with the play and the concepts it explores. As well as a performance,
students will benefit from an advance synopsis and a post performance session with the cast
to analyse the meaning behind key speeches and scenes.
With reduced ticket prices and support for transport to the theatre, it is hoped that many
students will benefit from the initiative.
Sarah Wilson-White, Head of Culture and Arts at the Department of Education, Sport, and
Culture, said:
“We’re excited to collaborate once again with Parados Theatre, this time to welcome
students into the Gaiety Theatre to experience a live, contemporary staging of a classic text.
We hope this initiative not only deepens students’ understanding of the play, but also
inspires a passion for live performance and reminds them that the Gaiety Theatre belongs to
the entire community.”
Alex Armstrong, Co Founder of Parodos Theatre Company said:
“We are extremely excited to be producing Macbeth in collaboration with VillaGaiety.
Rehearsals are well underway with our cast of talented local actors. It is a fantastic
opportunity to present this production to the Island’s young people. We firmly believe that
there is no substitute to seeing Shakespeare’s work in live theatre, especially for those
studying the text, and we hope that we can really engage and entertain the students, and
the public, with this timeless tragedy that explores the destructive nature of unchecked
ambition and the moral consequences of betrayal and murder.”
The production will be directed by talented local director, Tony Eccles following his award
winning directing of Victoria Station with Parodos in 2024.
We are thrilled to once again have Blackford & Company Insurance Brokers as a show sponsor who have been with us since the beginning!
Blackford & Co are a market leading provider of Insurance based in the south of the Island.
They save you time and money whilst offering great value, real quality benefits and cover that suits your individual requirements.
They have special ‘Manxcover’ policies designed exclusively for the Isle of Man covering Home, Property, Business & Motor Insurance.
Why not give them a call on 832042 and get a quote today or find more information at www.manxcover.com
ManxCover is a trading name of Blackford & Company Insurance Brokers Ltd who are registered with the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority as an insurance intermediary in respect of General Business.
We are delighted to welcome back Cains Advocates as the principal sponsor for Macbeth.
Cains is an internationally renowned independent offshore law firm providing expert legal services in the Isle of Man.
They provide both international and domestic clients with a focused insight into the world of offshore law.
Their expert team of legal specialists work across various disciplines advising clients from around the globe on Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Employment and Data Protection, Litigation, Property, Regulatory, Restructuring and Insolvency legal matters.
After a busy weekend of auditions and a separate workshop, we are delighted to announce our cast for William Shakespeare’s Macbeth!
We saw the most auditionees we have ever welcomed and a great mix of old and new faces. Thank you to everyone who came along.
We are sure you will all agree that based on the cast, this is going to be an epic production!
Further to our announcement that we will be producing Macbeth at the Gaiety Theatre in April 2025, we are now looking for expressions of interest for anyone who would like to be involved in the production. This may be as an actor in the play or for those who would like to assist backstage.
Please send an email to info@parodostheatre.im setting out what you would like to do, any role in particular you have an interest in and whether you would be interested in an alternative role if thought suitable.
We are always striving to do something a little different and with Macbeth we shall be holding a number of closed performances for the Island’s secondary schools. Macbeth is a current exam text and we have interest from the schools for them to bring their students to watch a performance in support of their learning. These, by their nature, will need to take place during the day and so an integral part of this production will be performers needing to be available in the day time, likely Thursday 4 April and Friday 5 April. For those with 9-5 working practices this would likely entail 2 half day holidays being used.
We recognise the inconvenience this may cause, but also the exciting opportunity it presents. As such, whilst Parodos is a ‘not for profit’ amateur company, we are likely to offer an honorarium to take into account this commitment level. It is not anticipated that all cast would need to be available and certain ensemble roles can be limited to evening performances only.
For those looking to audition for a stage role, we will be holding a read through weekend over 4-5 January 2025.
Once you have registered your interest, we will then be in touch with any reading material where applicable and a time slot for your read through.
Over the coming days we shall introduce you to the various characters in the show and provide a description of them. The full list can be found at parodostheatre.im/macbeth
Finally, we are excited to announce that Macbeth will be directed by Tony Eccles. A well known actor on the Island, Tony directed Parodos’ award winning Easter Festival One Act entry in 2024 and recently directed High School Musical at the Gaiety Theatre. We look forward to working with him once again!
Well, we said ‘more about that later’. Now is the later. The eagle eyed may have noticed an advert in VillaGaiety new brochure (link below). We are pleased to announce our April 2025 production of Macbeth at the Gaiety Theatre.
You can pick up your copy of the brochure from the Villa Marina, Villa Marina Arcade, Gaiety Theatre and Welcome Centre, with larger format copies are available on request from the Villa Marina Reception later this week.
You can also view a copy online – https://bit.ly/4fmtUsw
Well the dust has now settled on the MADF – Manx Amateur Drama Federation Easter Festival of Plays for 2024 and our success has now just about sunk in.
Having performed Victoria Station to a great audience reaction at the start of the week, we were humbled to receive a number of awards for the production.
We achieved the Nadine Talbot Award for Best Dramatic Moment, the Mark Clift Award for Best Actor was awarded to Geoff, with Lorcan also nominated, and amazingly we won the Northern Arts Rose Bowl for Best Play.
This means we are now able to represent the Isle of Man in the All England Theatre Festival Semi-Finals in Saltburn.
It has been brilliant to work with Tony, Geoff and Lorcan again and take part in the Festival alongside so many talented people. We’re already looking forward to 2025!
Parodos Theatre Company