Fair is foul, and foul is fair when La Boite Theatre launches Season 2025 with a bold reframing of Shakespeare’s famed tragedy, Macbeth, from 6 to 22 March.
The groundbreaking production sheds new light on Macbeth’s perilous pursuit of power. The tale will be presented through the eyes of the Weird Sisters, three prophets who bear witness to Macbeth’s rise and eventual fall.
Bystanders in the 400-year-old text, the trio reclaim the narrative in this modern interpretation. They will be stepping out of the shadows to take their place in the spotlight. Recast as healers and grounded in the forces of nature itself, these contemporary Witches remind us that every action comes with profound consequences.
The production is co-directed by La Boite Artistic Director & CEO Courtney Stewart and Lisa Fa’alafi (Polytoxic, Hot Brown Honey). Former Artistic Director (1993-2000) Sue Rider returns to La Boite as Macbeth’s dramaturg.
Embodying not only the three central Witches but also every other character in Shakespeare’s murderous masterpiece are regular La Boite collaborator Aunty Roxanne McDonald, a descendant of the Mandandanji, Wangan, and Darumbal tribes of Central Queensland, Queensland-trained Filipino actor Nicole Hoskins, and Mel Ree, an award-winning actor of Pacific Island and Papua New Guinea heritage.
While the multicultural cast has several Shakespearean performance credits between them, Macbeth marks the first time Fa’alafi has taken on the Bard’s work.
“I think, in the current climate, examining words that relate to power that are written by a white man, reinterpreted by a bunch of women of colour, is really exciting,” she said.
“How can we pull the story apart and how we can interpret it or somehow make those words our own and relevant to the stories that we want to tell now?”
A visual storyteller, Fa’alafi is renowned for producing work with a high degree of physicality and movement, where set and costume design are as integral to the story as dialogue.
“In Macbeth, I’m interested in exploring that feeling a physical moment can bring to an audience. I’m so thankful that Courtney opened the door for me in creating this world across every part of the design, whether costumes, set, music or projection.”
Macbeth will be performed in the round at La Boite’s iconic Roundhouse Theatre under a giant, reactive Bilum canopy, hand-weaved by three female master weavers. Cleverly designed costumes and statement props – all with a distinct military aesthetic – assist the cast to seamlessly segue into each character as the on-stage action unfolds.
“In every design choice, there are layers of meaning that stay true to the story, the text and the themes of power, ambition, what it takes to win when you are in conflict, and war. To win someone has to lose,” Stewart added.
Stewart and Rider are revising and reshaping Shakespeare’s seminal text into a streamlined 90-minute production while staying true to its original language.
“We have tried to make the script contemporary without contemporising the language and losing what is special about it,” Stewart explained.
“It’s so important to keep the language intact, focusing on the edits, stripping things back down to their essence. The design has been crafted to support that edit of the story.”
La Boite is Australia’s longest continuously running theatre company. In 2025 it celebrates its 100th year of telling stories.
“I’m excited about the next 100 years. La Boite is opening the door to more of us – more people of colour, more ways of seeing the world – and I feel so excited about what’s coming,” Fa’alafi said.
Stewart added: “In our centenary year, we understand that to leave a legacy, we need to be constantly creating one. We want to launch into another century of changing our world, one story at a time.”
Macbeth runs from 6-22 March at La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre, 6 Musk Avenue Kelvin Grove 4059.
Official opening night is Saturday 8 March, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
Tickets: https://tickets.laboite.com.au/overview/macbeth-2025
Website: https://laboite.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/laboitetheatre/
Photo credit: David Kelly. Featuring Drea Lam and Sammie Williams representing the characters to be played by Mel Ree and Nicole Hoskins.
