Shakespeare Dallas Launches 2026 with ‘Macbeth’ Winter Production

A Tragic Tale of Ambition and Legacy

Most New Year’s resolutions are modest, such as eating healthier or reading more. However, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist’s ambition is far more extreme—he seeks to become king. This production by Shakespeare Dallas, performed indoors at Theatre Three in Uptown Dallas from January 17 to February 1, brings this classic tragedy to life.

Written between 1604 and 1606, Macbeth is set in 11th-century Scotland and is known for its supernatural elements and the superstitions surrounding the play’s title. As one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, it unfolds with a rapid sequence of bloody events. Bryan Pitts takes on the titular role, portraying a Scottish general who takes the prophecy of three witches seriously and commits regicide to secure his place as king.

“I think ambitious is a word I would use for him, for sure. Of course, there are other factors: the spirits, his wife, the climate of war going on. He is a warrior. And you think about what you can achieve or what is an achievement during that time,” Pitts said. “I think a lot of it is ambition, but I think that the ambition is driven by fear. There’s a time limit to things. Speaking to that time period, a lot of importance was put on your lineage. What are you leaving behind? Do you have children? Do you have male heirs? Do you have something that will live on past you to carry on your name? Macbeth doesn’t have those things.”

As the plot becomes increasingly violent, Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates. Portraying this unraveling is one of Pitts’ greatest challenges in the production.

“He’s a person that goes from place to place from anger to confusion to vengeance to ambition to sorrow, even mid-monologue,” Pitts said.

The compressed timeline of the play adds constant emotional pressure to Macbeth’s character.

“I think that makes that emotional arc not as smooth,” Pitts said. “I think time is so precious because everything is so finite. For a man who is a warrior used to killing people and ending their lives, I think this is one of the times he thinks about his own mortality and his own legacy.”

Lady Macbeth, played by another actor, is a key figure in encouraging her husband’s ambitions. As a childless married woman, her legacy is tied to her husband’s achievements, and she sees opportunity in the witch’s prophecy.

“In our production, I would say she is driving him, but it takes a turn,” Pitts said.

After initially helping Macbeth with his ruthless schemes, he eventually acts on his own. Lady Macbeth, overwhelmed by guilt, commits suicide. Learning of her death devastates Macbeth.

“I think it is devastating,” Pitts said. “At the same time, he has accepted his own death, but he doesn’t want to experience her death as well.”

Shakespeare Dallas describes this production as a “classical staging.” Pitts explains that this refers primarily to the approach to Shakespeare’s language.

“A lot of times that language is changed to be more pleasant or more delicious to the audience, so they have to ‘think so much,’” Pitts said. “I would say in this case, our production is more in line with the classic; more of the time it was placed as opposed to imagining or placing it somewhere where there is a translation needed.”

The show is performed on Theatre Three’s Norma Young Arena Stage. The theater-in-the-round setup creates an intimate experience for the audience, allowing them to be immersed in the action.

“You can hear more, you can see more, but you can see less, so you can use your imagination more,” Pitts said. “But you can also see sweat, you can see tears, you can see the tremble of the lip.”

The space allows the cast to engage the audience in unique ways.

“You can also use different voice levels. We can whisper. We can use hushed tones, and we do a lot more exploration in that space because it is smaller,” Pitts said.

In this setting, audiences might see something of themselves in Macbeth.

“I think it is a lot about commonalities,” Pitts said. “I think there are still people who talk about their legacy.”

In Macbeth’s quest for a legacy, ambition leads to his downfall.

“An ambitious man who got caught up in his own ambition and let it run away with his life,” Pitts said. “Come experience it.”