All hail Lady Macbeth

Zoey Barnes, Paryce Richards and Pavanveer Sagoo as the witches in HER Productions' Macbeth

Something wicked this way comes as HER Productions, Girl Gang Manchester and Unseemly Women return for their eighth annual Shakespeare production and their first four-stop tour.

Featuring their trademark all-female and non-binary cast of emerging local talent, Shakespeare's Macbeth runs from June 5-7 at Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, before heading to The Dukes, Lancaster (June 10-12); Hope Mill, Manchester (June 18-29) and Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (July 2-3).

Macbeth is co-directed by Hannah Ellis Ryan and Amy Gavin, whose last joint venture Taming of The “Shrew” earned them a place in The Stage’s list of its top 50 shows of 2024. “Shrew” will also return in May for its own mini tour (Dukes, May 23-24; Royal Exchange Den in Stalybridge, May 25 and HOME, Manchester, May 27-31).

Playing Macbeth will be Elaine McNicol, who HER audiences may remember as Benvolio in the company's 2018 version of Romeo and Juliet. She appears alongside Frankie Lipman as Lady Macbeth, Ciara Tansy as Macduff and Naomi Albans as Duncan, and completing the cast are Paryce Richards, Pavanveer Sagoo and Zoey Barnes as the witches; Lucy Enderby as Malcom, Miranda Parker as Porter & Hecate.

Co-founder of HER and co-director of Macbeth, Hannah Ellis Ryan, said: “Amy and I have enjoyed pouring over the shadowy world of Macbeth. We managed to place The Taming of the 'Shrew' in a female world, and that's what we want to do with Macbeth too.

"Many people find the Witches and Lady Macbeth the most memorable parts of the story, so for us, as women telling this story, we want to lean into that. The women of war. The cost of war. How it feels to raise children, give birth to them, then watch bodies pile up during war. This is the heartbeat of the story we want to tell."

More info and tickets here