Mobile Shakespeare Lab presents “Macbeth

In the fall of 2026, three college students in the United States are struggling. With mounting discourse and legislative action from politicians putting their identities, their communities, and their safety in jeopardy, they turn to a hobby to help themselves escape: “Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).” These three “witches” and their Dungeon Master (Hecate) use role-playing games as a way to process living in a world that is hostile to them, and to fantasize about what a better world might look like.
Shakespeare's parable about ambition and power is brought into direct conversation with contemporary politics and the ideological fight to belong faced by Americans whose identities remain marginalized. In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth is driven mad by his lust for power and control, and mounting violence eventually leads Macbeth's Scotland to a bloody civil war. Accordingly, “Macbeth” asks us to consider what qualities a good leader needs, how leaders can have healthy relationships to the power they wield, and the importance of protecting a nation from greed and corruption.
The Shakespeare Mobile Lab is an initiative launched by Dr. Danielle Rosvally through UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance. This touring production marks the project's first iteration.