'Macbeth' sets sights on Malta for June 29

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, one of the oldest Shakespeare companies in the United States, will launch its 45th season on June 14 with performances of George Bernard Shaw's You Never Can Tell and Shakespeare's Macbeth, the later coming to Malta on Thursday, June 29.

The company will travel 7,700 miles during the season, running from June 14 through Sept. 5 performing in 61 communities in five states -- Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. All performances are offered free to the audience in local parks and public spaces, making them accessible to all.

Kevin Asselin, executive artistic director, will direct Macbeth while associate artistic director William Brown will return to Montana to direct You Never Can Tell. The 10 professional actors that will tour with the company were chosen out of a highly competitive pool of about 500 applicants auditioning in Bozeman, Chicago and Minneapolis. The show in Malta will once again take place on the lawn of the Phillips County Courthouse and audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for the event.

Asselin said Macbeth will be set in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are limited and power is vital for survival. Contrasted to that will be You Never Can Tell, one of Shaw's funniest plays.

"It all adds up to a great season of theater under the Big Sky," Asselin said.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is an outreach program of Montana State University's College of Arts and Architecture. Grants, corporate sponsorships and hundreds of individual donors support the free performance.

This year major sponsors include: The National Endowment for the Arts, The Gilhousen Family Foundation, The Gianforte Family Foundation, Pheasant Farms, Spectec: Thunderbird International Corporation, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Foundation, Montana Arts Council, Barnard Construction, NorthWestern Energy, D.A. Davidson and Company, KBZK, ERA Landmark, Yellowstone Public Radio, Stillwater Mining and the Spanish Peaks Foundation.