Rehearsal for Robert O’Hara’s ‘Macbeth.’ Photo by John Moore.

Robert O’Hara’s story is told from the point of view of a warlock coven that gathers to recreate the tale of Macbeth.

The DCPA Theatre Company has announced the full cast and creative team for Robert O’Hara’s raw and reimagined take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which opens the company’s 38th season with an all-male cast on Sept. 22.

In preparing for the production, the director was struck by Banquo’s line referencing the witches: “You should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”

“That inherent contradiction stuck in my head,” O’Hara said. “And right then I was like, ‘Well maybe they’re not women. Maybe they are men.’ ” That opened the door for a concept told from the point of view of the supernatural: Specifically, a warlock coven that gathers to recreate the tale of Macbeth.

“People have asked me, ‘What will an all-male Macbeth do to the story?’” O’Hara said. “I tell them, ‘I hope it will do exactly what Shakespeare’s work should always do – give some insight into the world in which we are living today.’ ”

From left: Colorado natives Skyler Gallun (Donalbain) and Gareth Saxe (Duncan), with Lady M (Adam Poss) and Macbeth (Ariel Shafir).

The production will feature, in alphabetical order:

• Rob Fenton (Malcolm/Ensemble)
• Kim Fischer (Second Warlock/Ensemble)
• Thaddeus Fitzpatrick (Third Warlock/Ensemble)
• Keith D. Gallagher (Seyton/Ensemble)
• Skyler Gallun (Donalbain/Ensemble)
• Joel Reuben Ganz (Macduff/Ensemble)
• Joe Goldammer (First Warlock/Ensemble)
• Steven Cole Hughes (Doctor of the Psychic/Ensemble)
• Alec Hynes (Banquo/Ensemble)
• Erik Kochenberger (Hecate Two/Ensemble)
• Daniel Kyri (Lady Macduff/Ensemble)
• Jesse Pennington (Rosse/Ensemble)
• Adam Poss (Lady Macbeth/Ensemble)
• Gareth Saxe (Duncan/Ensemble)
• Ariel Shafir (Macbeth/Ensemble)
• Travis Turner (Lennox/Ensemble)
• Danny Zuhlke (Fleance/Ensemble)

Several cast members have appeared in previous DCPA productions or have longstanding Colorado ties. Hughes is a graduate of the Denver Center’s masters program and has appeared in 14 Theatre Company productions. Most recently he was seen in DCPA Cabaret’s production of An Act of God in the Garner-Galleria Theatre.

Saxe is a graduate of Denver East High School and Colorado College who has appeared in Theatre Company productions of The Homecoming and Heartbreak House. He was most recently seen as Scar in the national touring production of The Lion King. (Watch our video interview here.)

Gallun is a graduate of Denver’s George Washington High School who previously appeared here in Lord of the Flies. Kochenberger is a graduate of East High School in Pueblo. Fitzpatrick was last seen in The Book off Will.   

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

The creative team includes:

• Robert O’Hara (Director)
• Jason Sherwood (Scenic Designer)
• Dede M. Ayite (Costume Designer)
• Alex Jainchill (Lighting Designer)
• Lindsay Jones (Original Music and Sound Designer)
• Douglas Langworthy (Dramaturgy)
• Kathryn G. Maes (vocal and dialect coaching)
• Kurt Van Raden (Stage Manager)
• D. Lynn Reiland (Assistant Stage Manager)

Macbeth also marks the reopening of the newly renovated Space Theatre. The nearly 40-year-old venue has been completely rebuilt to enhance the world-class experience for audiences and artists alike.

Macbeth: Ticket information

At a glance: Forget what you know about Shakespeare’s brutal tragedy. Director Robert O’Hara breathes new life (and death) into this raw reimagining for the grand reopening of The Space Theatre. To get what he wants, Macbeth will let nothing stand in his way – not the lives of others or his own well-being. As his obsession takes command of his humanity and his sanity, the death toll rises and his suspicions mount. This ambitious reinvention reminds us that no matter what fate is foretold, the man that chooses to kill must suffer the consequences.

• Presented bythe DCPA Theatre Company
• First performance Sept. 15, through Oct. 29
• Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Tickets start at $25
• Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
• Sales to groups of 10 or more click here

Macbeth: Previous DCPA NewsCenter coverage
Macbeth at a time when everything is shifting
Video, photos: Our coverage of the Space Theatre opening

Making of Macbeth: Full photo gallery:

Photos from the first day of rehearsal for Robert O’Hara’s ‘Macbeth’ for the DCPA Theatre Company, along with behind-the-scenes process shots. To see more, click the forward arrow in the image above. Photos by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.