Lady Macbeth might be one of the more famous female roles in the Shakespeare canon, but despite her notoriety, she still dies offstage in the original play. A new opera launching in Dartmouth, N.S., intends to bring her into the spotlight. “In Her Hands: The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth” takes a different spin on the classic tale of murder and regicide in the Scottish Highlands, putting female and non-binary characters at centre stage. “Because the rewrite involves primarily the women and non-binary characters in the play and making the story about them, the title makes that more explicit,” said Erin Bardua, co-artistic director for Essential Opera. “The agency is in her hands.” The show had a long journey to the stage. It started in a workshop with grad student and composer Fiona Ryan in the early 2010s. “I did a workshop where composers could write for a vocal trio,” she said. “It happened that the text I chose was one of the weird sister scenes from Macbeth. “The idea grew. What if I expanded on that trio? What if I did something bigger? What if I took that whole play and just focused on treble voice characters or women characters?” Maureen Batt, the other co-artistic director with Essential Opera, said they’ve known Ryan for a while and “jumped at the opportunity” to work with her on this show, putting together additional workshops over the years. “The final development phase was this last summer in Fredericton,” she said. Despite the novel spin on the play, Ryan wanted to stay true to the Shakespearean text, keeping in many original lines while adding a few of her own. “Make it feel cohesive with Shakespeare’s text,” she said. “I wanted to evoke something musically in people’s imagination. I wanted to draw from historical musical styles and folk styles, which I really love.” “Fiona is so incredible at weaving together her story and the original,” Bardua said. “It feels very organic.” Ryan hopes to surprise audiences with the sounds of the show. In one scene the percussion section dips a gong in and out of water, creating a mysterious effect. “Making unusual sounds or different techniques to make an instrument sound different,” she said. “Use your imagination and extend the array of sound.” Batt said the show isn’t just for opera or Shakespeare lovers. “You don’t need to be a Shakespeare person; you can come and just enjoy it as an opera piece,” she said. “It’s entertainment; it’s not an assignment. We’re extending Halloween vibes with this show.” The show, which debuted on Friday, will run at the Sanctuary Arts Centre in Dartmouth this weekend on: For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
