SPIN Theatre ‘Scrooge Macbeth’

Two Luther College student organizations, the SPIN Theatre Company and the Shakespeare Society, are coming together for the first time ever to create a lighthearted moment in what has been an otherwise stressful holiday season. The two organizations are co-producing "Scrooge Macbeth," a play by David MacGreggor. "Scrooge Macbeth" performances will air 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 25; 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26; and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27. Tickets are available for $2.50 at https://spintheatre.booktix.com/.

Sophie Nall, the managing director of the Shakespeare Society, describes the play as "a story about a theater company whose cast of 'The Winter's Tale' comes down with a bad case of food poisoning, leaving four participants to piece together a Christmasy Shakespeare production in hopes of saving their theater."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most aspects of production, including rehearsals, filming and performing, are being done remotely for this project. "We have arranged all the show's blocking to be compatible with webcam-filming, and have gotten very creative with props, costumes, and scenery," said Nall. The production will be recorded and put together before the night of the show, as a way to mitigate the technical issues.

The Shakespeare Society and the SPIN Theatre Company have taken a collaborative approach to the production. Each program has provided a co-director and co-stage manager to work on the show. The Shakespeare Society has also provided the production with a dramaturg, who acts as a historical researcher for the show.

Many of the students involved with "Scrooge Macbeth" are also involved in other projects through Luther's Visual and Performing Arts department. Nall says the production team is hard at work to make sure that the show accommodates the schedules of their cast. "Many students are missing out on a lot of theater due to COVID-19 this year, so we are so happy to provide another performance opportunity for students who are missing it!" Nall said.

Both SPIN and the Shakespeare Society hope that their performance will be a source of fun for theater lovers who are missing opportunities to experience live performances during this trying year. The two student organizations are also excited about the connection that this experience has helped foster between the English and theatre programs at Luther.