The Royal Shakespeare Company has released production photos from its modern-dress “Macbeth,” marking Sam Heughan‘s first performance with the company and his return to theater after 10 years focused on screen work.
The images show a contemporary staging that reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy in late-20th-century Scotland. Heughan appears in casual modern clothing — a white tank top with an open shirt and gold chain — while the set features a detailed bar environment with bottles, fluorescent tubes and intimate staging.
Sam Heughan – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
Several photos show dramatic moments, including scenes with visible stage blood that emphasize the play’s violent narrative.
Conor McLeod – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
Director Daniel Raggett has relocated the story to 1990s Glasgow’s working-class neighborhoods, framing the power struggle through the lens of gang conflicts and family feuds. The design, captured in Helen Murray’s moody photographs, uses stark lighting and a stripped-down aesthetic that brings audiences close to the action in an in-the-round configuration.
Lia Williams – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
Raggett previously helmed the RSC’s 2024 staging of Marlowe’s “Edward II” with Daniel Evans. For this production, he has drawn inspiration from Scottish filmmaker Peter Mullan’s work, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” films, and recent psychological horror cinema like Ari Aster’s “Hereditary.”
Sam Heughan – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
Lia Williams plays Lady Macbeth in what is otherwise an entirely Scottish cast spanning multiple generations. The company includes Alec Newman as Macduff, Nicholas Karimi as Banquo, and Alison Peebles, Eilidh Fisher and Irene Macdougall as the three witches.
Irene MacDougall, Eilidh Fisher, Alison Peebles – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
Heughan has spent the past decade primarily in television and film, becoming widely known for playing Jamie Fraser on Starz’s “Outlander” alongside Caitriona Balfe. He trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and earned a 2003 Olivier nomination for most promising performer for David Greig’s “Outlaying Islands” at the Royal Court and Traverse Theatre. His stage credits also include “Crime & Punishment,” “The Seagull” and “Prometheus Bound.”
Lia Williams – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
The production features design by Anna Reid, lighting by Ryan Day, and an original score by Tommy Reilly.
Sam Heughan, Lia Williams – “Macbeth”
Helen Murray
“Macbeth” runs through Dec. 6 at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon.
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