Macbeth in the Ante-Chapel

Wadham College Drama Society's production of Macbeth opened on Wednesday October 30th and continues with a sold-out run until Saturday November 2nd. Written during the years that Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham were planning the foundation of Wadham College, Macbeth contains many references to King James I, whose statue as our Royal Patron presides over our Front Quad from above the Wadhams.

With many thanks to President of the Society and Production Manager, Rebecca Harper, we were able to capture photos of the deeply atmospheric debut performance. Rebecca explains; "this production of Macbeth is the first antechapel play since 2023's Forgery, and in a similar vein, we aimed to use the setting to add to the gothic atmosphere of the play. The play is dark and violent, and the high ceilings and dark wood of the antechapel add to this tremendously. The stairs, pillars and even the organ are all used to enhance the director's (Holly Beckman) vision of the play as a gothic tragedy."

We asked Rebecca how it feels to see the production come to life in front of a live audience. "Macbeth is the result of what happens when students are supported to make their ideas a reality. We have had so much support from figures around college, last year's Wadham Drama Society, and the wider Oxford University Drama Society, and it makes me so happy to finally be able to show off the hard work that has been put into this play, all because of the fabulous team of crew and cast we've assembled."

"Wadham Drama Society, to me", Rebecca shares, "is all about supporting people who are new to drama. I know that without the support of last year's committee, I would never have acted in any productions, let alone be producing a Shakespeare play in the first term of my second year. Something I aim to carry on in my tenure as WCDS president is this supportive atmosphere: after all, Macbeth started as a conversation in Hall between myself and Holly, and has resulted in a week-long show run, all due to the support that we had during the production. I'm very excited to see what the drama society can help people to achieve in the future!"