Oldham Coliseum Theatre has announced the full cast for its radical new staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by the Coliseum’s new Creative Director, Nick Bagnall.
Award-winning actor and writer Andrew Sheridan and The Bay star Erin Shanagher will play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are joined by Reuben Johnson as Macduff, Darren Kuppen as Malcolm, Dean Boodaghians-Nolan as Banquo and Gurmej Virk as Duncan.
The production also includes Amy Drake, Mary Puzey and Amy Bent as the witches, Sam O’Donnell as Fleance, Fletcher Davies Rushton as Young Siward Martha Ritchie as Ross and Ben Thomas-Harris as Seyton. Amy Bent, Mary, Sam, Fletcher, Martha and Ben have all worked with Oldham Theatre Workshop.
The 19-performance run will be staged inside Liquid & Envy nightclub in Oldham from Friday 23 October to Saturday 7 November, with press night on Tuesday 27 October.
Macbeth marks the next chapter for Oldham Coliseum Theatre as it continues to programme work across the town while its historic home on Fairbottom Street is restored.
Feared, respected and rewarded for his capacity for violence, Macbeth knows how to play the game. He has spent his life making other men powerful. Now it is his turn.
Nick Bagnall’s radical reimagining relocates Shakespeare’s tragedy to a gritty late-1970s world of gangsters, casinos, and shifting social codes, drawing on the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of Oldham at a time when its clubs, mills, and streets were charged with change.
Staged inside a nightclub, the production puts audiences at the heart of Macbeth’s increasingly fractured world, exploring ambition, masculinity, power and identity through a contemporary Oldham lens. Audiences can choose between standing and seated tickets, both of which are now on sale. The result is a Macbeth that feels closer to a night out than a night at the theatre, while retaining the force, poetry and darkness of Shakespeare’s original.
For Nick Bagnall, bringing together actors with strong North West connections is central to the production.
Nick said: “Casting this production has been an extraordinary process because I wanted to create a cast that could really inhabit this world together. We have some hugely experienced actors alongside brilliant emerging talent, and a strong North West identity runs through it all.
“Andrew and Erin bring an intensity to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, while Reuben, Dean, Gurmej and the rest of the company bring their own histories, energies and perspectives to the world we are creating. That feels particularly important for a production rooted so deeply in Oldham. I want audiences to recognise something of their own town, its people and its history, while being taken somewhere they absolutely don’t expect.”
Lead Producer Justine Potter said: “We were looking for a cast who could bring Shakespeare’s language to life in a way that felt immediate, truthful and connected to the world Nick has created. It was particularly exciting to find such a strong mix of established actors with deep North West connections and emerging local talent.
“It feels like a very special group of actors for this production, and I’m excited to see what they create together in the unique setting of Liquid & Envy.”
Access is built into the run, with the two-week season including a relaxed performance, an audio-described performance, a captioned performance and two performances interpreted in British Sign Language.
Performance schedule
October
Friday 23, 1.30pm, preview
Saturday 24, 1.30pm and 6.30pm, previews
Monday 26, 7pm, preview
Tuesday 27, 7pm, press night
Wednesday 28, 7pm
Thursday 29, 1.30pm and 7pm
Friday 30, 6.30pm
Saturday 31, 1.30pm and 6.30pm
November
Monday 2, 7pm
Tuesday 3, 1.30pm and 7pm
Wednesday 4, 7pm
Thursday 5, 1.30pm and 7pm
Friday 6, 6.30pm
Saturday 7, 6.30pm
Listings information
Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nick Bagnall
Venue: Liquid & Envy, Retiro Street, Oldham OL1 1SA
Dates: Friday 23 October to Saturday 7 November
Press night: Tuesday 27 October
Tickets: £15 concessions; £20 preview; £25 Oldham/local price; £28 standard. Standing and seated tickets are both on sale now.
Tickets are available from Oldham Coliseum Theatre
