Christian O'Neal is a Freshman in Mechanical Engineering and also a regular on the University Theatre stage. Christian's first performance was the Male Shadow in "Amadeus." Following this performance, he took on the nerd-turned-suave Page, "Melvin," in "It's A Wonderful Life: The Live Radio Play." Christian now speaks of his lead role in Macbeth and the cast's work leading up to the performance.experience.



As I’m writing this, I’m finding it difficult to sum up all that we are accomplishing in the upcoming University Theatre production of “Macbeth.” For many of us involved, this is our first opportunity to perform a Shakespeare play, and for others this is their first play ever, so we certainly have our work cut out for us! “Macbeth” is the most intense production I’ve ever experienced, with physically and mentally demanding goals for everyone involved. All our rehearsals begin with physical stretches and warm-ups, most of which are unique to the worlds of theatre and martial arts. We also begin each evening with “fight-calls” to rehearse all five battle scenes. But the stage combats are not just physically involved, for safety is always a high priority in theatre. While we rehearse slicing and smacking each other, we are also calculating speed, distance, and position, all the while communicating with our fight partners through eye contact. Many of our special effects for the witches also involve body contortions and indescribable body movements, but pursuing this topic might give too much away from the show. And equally challenging is the acting itself, for Shakespeare commands a complexity of drama unlike any other playwright. The entire cast is working hard in following Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter, painting his language vocally and physically to capture emotion, motivation, and character in an instant. The trick is to deliver our lines in a way the audience can understand the story, and due to the production’s setting, we are also delivering them as modern-day street rats. Many of us are tired and out-of-it by the third or fourth rehearsal in a given week, but I think all of us can agree that we couldn’t imagine ourselves doing anything else.

When I first started out, I wasn’t sure how to approach Macbeth’s character. With my previous theatre experience, I thought myself partial to comedies and character roles. But working with our directors Rachel Klem and Dana Marks changed my outlook completely. They got me excited about exploring Macbeth’s personality, uncovering his motivations underling every line of script. Contrary to what many assume, I didn’t find Macbeth a stock persona of a ruthless monarch, but a man full of sorrow, guilt, and, worst of all, ambition. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than to bring a character to life and allow him to live a life of his own within the hour upon the stage.

Meanwhile, everyone else is discovering his or her stage identity with just as much enthusiasm. The witches are turning into a real scream, the murderers are growing quite shady, and our porter continues to command giggles. Our cast comes from many backgrounds, ranging from our Macduff, who is a Shakespeare fanatic, to our Banquo, who is still learning the English language, let alone Shakespearean English! Everyone from Lady Macbeth, to the Noblemen and Noblewomen, to the servants are truly what will make this production come alive and grab the audience. This has been my favorite cast this season at University Theatre, and I hope the relationship we all have will reflect our performances to come.


Macbeth runs April 14 - 18 & 21 - 25 in Thompson Hall on NC State University's campus.
Call Ticket Central at 919.515.1100 for tickets.