by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Nashville Shakespeare Festival will bring “Macbeth” to campus at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at Convocation Hall. The one-hour production with a five-member cast was created in conjunction with the Shakespeare Education Experience Tour with a goal of making Shakespeare’s plays an up-close and personal experience in middle and high schools throughout the region as well as at colleges, universities, libraries, and other select venues. Although shortened from the usual two-and-a-half-hour performance, the abridged version of the high stake’s drama rises to the challenge with dynamic power and grace.

“The challenges turned into gifts,” said Sewanee grad Nick Govindan who plays multiple roles. “There’s less text to work with, which is a nice thing. But ‘Macbeth’ is a stakes heavy play — war, friendships and relationships, the breaking up of relationships, love, marriage. Sitting around the table with the cast figuring things out and through the rehearsal process we were able to get a really sharp show that finds the gravity and weight behind all those relationships, what causes them to fracture, and communicates all that through Shakespeare’s language in an hour.”

Professional actress Katie Bruno, a popular presence on the Nashville theater scene, wrote the abridged script. All the performers play multiple roles, except for the actor who plays Macbeth. Govindan plays one of the three witches, Banquo, King Duncan, the doctor and several minor roles.

“We’ve always brought performances from outside to Sewanee as part of the Performing Arts Series,” said Theater Department Chair Jim Crawford. “This production was easy to say, ‘Yes,’ to. The cast features Nick Govindan, an outstanding Sewanee theatre major who graduated last year.”

Because the show is an educational touring production, the actors are accustomed to performing in a variety of theaters and spaces, Crawford pointed out. “There are two possible configurations for them to perform in Convocation Hall — we’ll be figuring that out next week!” The cast will arrive the day of the performance with pieces of the set that will be put together a couple of hours before the show.

Since the first performance the week of Oct. 21, the five-member cast has staged the play at least once each weekday, and some days twice. The show continues throughout November. PBS will video record the production for use as an educational tool. The troupe recently performed at a K-12 school for children with multiple disabilities. “It was super gratifying,” Govindan said, “It really uplifted us.” The children responded enthusiastically even though many were much younger than at the other venues where the troupe had performed. “They were loving it. A great thing about Shakespeare is direct address. Even if they weren’t able to grasp the language of the text, they understood the stakes and got the emotion.”

Raised in Boston, at the age of 14 Govindan made a choice between sports and theater. A college counselor pointed him toward Sewanee, and one visit cemented his decision. “Jim Crawford and John Marshall, [Tennessee Williams Theater] technical director, embraced me with open arms,” Govindan said.

He was not disappointed. “Jim Crawford put me in situations as an actor that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me. I played a host of different characters that both reflected my personality and that didn’t.”

Nashville’s vibrant arts and performing community prompted Govindan to stay in Tennessee after he graduated. He stressed the importance of finding “a community of likeminded people. Nashville really bounced back after COVID reaching out to people like me who are freshly new to the business, giving us a chance to perform.”

The blessing rebounds to the Sewanee community who will have the opportunity to see the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s best perform “Macbeth” at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at Convocation Hall. Admission is free. No reservations necessary.