Macbeth with Three of Cups Theatre Company

Congratulations to Three of Cups Theatre Company on opening their inaugural show, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by Hannah Baker, which runs from Thursday, July 24, to Saturday, August 2, at the Den Theatre in Chicago.

Introducing Three of Cups

I met the lovely artists of Three of Cups during a technical run of Macbeth, which Distant Era photographed.

In April, while photographing Hitch*Cocktails at the Annoyance, I observed how at home it felt to be working with Chicago improvisors, since my own Chicago theatre career began in Chicago’s improv scene in the late ‘90s, before I decided to put my focus into classical theatre at the turn of the millennium and spent the next years touring with Shakespeare companies.

So it was that I felt just as at home with Three of Cups’s mission statement, which they detail in this way on their website:

Three of Cups Theatre Company aims to create a dynamic community of artists of all types within the Chicago area. Drawing largely on both traditional theater training as well as improvisation, Three of Cups unites both disciplines to bring intention and community back to improvisation, while returning to the roots of improv to bring that values of play and discovery into theatrical works. 

Three of Cups derives its name from the tarot card representing groups coming together to focus on a common emotional goal, and to create a community where others can have a space to rely on each other.

Three of Cups Theatre Company

I’m encouraged to meet companies like Three of Cups, who actively work to span the perceived boundaries of theatrical form, bringing their skill in one form of theatre to another, and broadening their horizons in both as a result.

Three of Cups co-founder Mandy Leavell described the company’s mission in a way that was easy to relate to, and I sincerely hope audiences who witness their production of Macbeth at the Den experience the grounded spontaneity seasoned improvisors can bring to traditional theatrical work.

Big respect to Three of Cups Theatre Company for bravely striding forth to make something cool and new.

Photography and Gratitude

Macbeth challenged my camera’s capabilities, but by the end of the night, I’d captured a wide range of images throughout the play, plenty more than I needed. Macbeth is a relatively minimal production, so I tried to keep close to the actors in the space, capturing expressions and moments between characters.  The scenes with the witches involved some cool, eerie costuming (Melissa Jane Carlson) and lighting (Abby Beggs) from Three Cups’s team, with the witches’ faces partly concealed behind veils and shrouded by curtains (Ramona Rotten).

To my eyes, some of the images from Macbeth look like stills from a horror film from the 1960s and ’70s, and these are my favorite images. Kudos to Three of Cups for making such cool visuals for the spookier elements of Macbeth in this production.

I had a great time photographing Three Cups Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth. Many thanks to Natalie Younger for recommending me and to Mandy Leavell for answering all my questions and just being wonderful to work with. I wish Three of Cups a very happy opening and successful run! Tickets for Macbeth are available here!

The cast and creative team for Macbeth includes:

Cast

Creative Team

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