By William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Danielle Rosvally
Oct. 8, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6, 2026 at 2 p.m.
UB Katharine Cornell Theatre
Content advisory: Macbeth contains depictions of murder and violence,
including war and infanticide.
This production runs 60 minutes with no intermission.
Free community performances and talks
(general admission - no tickets needed):
Oct. 9, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. (performance)
Irish Classical Theatre Company
625 Main St.
Oct. 29, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. (talk by Dr. Danielle Rosvally)
Buffalo Erie County Central Library
Ring of Knowledge
1 Lafayette Square
Topic: The heritage of storytelling and the library’s
collection of rare Shakespearean texts.
Nov. 7, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. (performance)
Buffalo Erie County Central Library
Mason O. Damon Auditorium
1 Lafayette Square
Production Staff
Director/Fight Director: Danielle Rosvally
Choreography: based on the original choreography by Janet Werther
Set Design: based on the original set design by Maili Novak
Props: based on the original prop design by Phoenix Hall
Puppets: based on the original puppet design by Faith Marsala
Sound: based on the original sound design by Lisa Gallagher
Armorer: Piper Noda
Costume Supervisor: Casey Howe
Dance Captain: Hayley Craane
Fight Captains: Jalyn James, William Tocke
Makeup Supervisor: Elyssa Katsman
Prop Supervisor: Bolaji Idowu
Puppet Supervisor: Jo Yanko
Social Media Leads: Ty Burgess, Ainsley Urbanek
Cast (in order of appearance)
Hecate (and others): Ruja Rijal
Witch 1: Piper Noda
Witch 2: Sadie Everhart
Witch 3: Madesen Clarke
Duncan (and others): Bolaji Idowu
Malcolm (and others): Madeline Dundon
Lady Macduff (and others): Casey Howe
Ross (and others): Elyssa Katsman
Macbeth: Ty Burgess
Banquo (and others): Camille Thompson
Lenox (and others): Olivia Ehmke
Lady Macbeth (and others): Ainsley Urbanek
Donalbaine (and others): William Tocke
Macduff: Jo Yanko
Swings: Hayley Craane, Jalyn James
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to Rob Falgiano, Ally Hasselback, Max Levitt, J. Marc Quattlebaum, and Nick Quinn for great assistance on the UB logistics side. Thanks as well to Ian Downes and Mike Fenton for assistance with publicity and tour logistics.
Special thanks also to our on-site partners: Keelie Sheridan, Lauren Costello Yager, and Kaylie Horowitz at the Irish Classical Theatre Company; Heather Gring, Pamela Edhold, and Hannah Quaintance at the Buffalo/Erie County Public Library; and Alexandra Montesano and NYSTEA at Amherst Central High School.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Every year, the Human Rights Campaign (the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization) conducts a study to document and survey what life is like for LGBTQ+ people in the United States. In the third week of rehearsals for the original production, the findings from the 2025 survey were released revealing a few very disturbing things. In the wake of concerted national-level legislative attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, the survey found that acceptance of this community is eroding: “one in five U.S. adults (21.6%) say acceptance of LGBTQ+ people has declined in the past year. Three in ten (29.7%) LGBTQ+ adults share this belief” (HRC, 6). It found that outness is fading: “Nearly half (47.5% of LGBTQ+ adults report being less out somewhere in their lives over the last 12 months”(HRC, 6). It also found that visibility is slipping: “More than half of LGBTQ+ adults (51.1%) report being less visible than a year ago. 40.1% of LGBTQ+ parents with school-aged children report being less visible at schools, the highest of all measured environments” (HRC, 6).
I grew up in a house with Martin Niemöller’s poem framed on the wall, “First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist…” History knows what happens when we allow marginalized people to become silenced. I can’t help but hear the poem in my head as I read these statistics and fast forward to Niemöller’s ultimate chilling conclusion: “Then they came for me/And there was no one left/to speak out for me.” Remaining complacent both enables the suffering that silence brings and also forfeits one’s own right to a voice when the world needs it most. That time is once again upon us.
Art is political. It always has been. Shakespeare, arguably the most influential English-language playwright, has been used by political agents since there was a Shakespeare to speak of. In 1601, Robert Deverux, the second Earl of Essex, attempted to seize power within the English court via a coup (this became known as the “Essex Rebellion”). In the days leading up to the rebellion, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (Shakespeare’s theatre company) were paid substantial sums of money to perform Shakespeare’s Richard II, a play about a weakened English monarch being deposed. The would-be usurpers were caught and dealt with, and in the process Queen Elizabeth paid particular note to the role of Shakespeare’s story in this, famously asking her nobles: “I am Richard, know ye not that?”
Stories have power. Telling stories is the closest we can come to making real magic. Sharing stories with each other helps us feel something, en masse, together; it helps us grow in community and understand one another. This is part of why the Mobile Shakespeare Lab is so important; the act of coming together to experience a story connects us on a profound human level.
In 1937, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien published The Hobbit and in 1954 its sequel trilogy The Lord of the Rings. These four books, though certainly influenced by previous literature, are widely credited with inventing the genre of high fantasy. As a World War I veteran, Tolkien was intimate with the horrors of war. He was a staunch anti-industrialist, writing a race of tree people (the Ents) into his literary world and a scene inspired by Macbeth where the Ents march to war (emulating Birnam wood approaching high Dunsinane hill). He was a feminist, advocating for women’s place in higher education and writing a scene in which a female soldier, Eowyn, defeats one of the biggest bads in Middle Earth while crying “I am no man” (inspired, again, by Macbeth and the fact that Macduff could subvert the witches’ prophecy that “no man of woman born can harm Macbeth” because “Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”). He was anti-totalitarian. In 1938, Tolkien was in negotiations with German publishing house Rütten & Loening to publish a German-language edition of The Hobbit. The publishing house, undoubtedly to comply with Third Reich mandates, asked for proof of his “Aryan descent.” Tolkien responded (emphasis his): “If I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people…. I have been accustomed… to regard my German name with pride…. I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.” We all know what happened next.
In 1974 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons: one of the first and certainly the most lasting Table-Top Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs). TTRPGs allow a group of people to form community around a table and engage in collaborative storytelling. They have become a cornerstone of connection for vast swathes of nerds, geeks, freaks, rejects, storytellers, creatives, dreamers, and now: us. When history brings darkness, artists must bring light. The only cure for silence is loud, joyful noise. So here we are; loud and proud; ready to use our voices and tell this story.
This is an experiment. The Mobile Shakespeare Laboratory is a dream I dreamed with the help of Joseph Papp’s example in New York City. What would it mean to bring our work to the greater Buffalo community? How would this change our 4students’ educational experience, our relationship to the community, how we all think about the work together? To get this tour rolling, we had minimal rehearsal time (19.5 hours before our first performance, to be exact). To make the tour feasible, we are working in the realm of minimalism. But given the creative prompts provided by this telling of this story, what can our communal imaginations make?
Let’s find out. Welcome to our table. Care to roll the dice?
Danielle Rosvally, Ph.D.
Director and Founder, Mobile Shakespeare Lab
PLOT SUMMARY
Amidst the political turmoil of 2026, three friends (or Witches) gather to escape through a game of Dungeons and Dragons with their dungeon master, Hecate.
In the world of the game, the Scottish army seizes victory against rebel forces thanks to the heroic exploits of Generals/Thanes Macbeth and Banquo. The duo encounters the Witches, who greet Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor and prophesize that he shall be King of Scotland. Banquo, they predict, will “beget” a royal line.
Indeed, Macbeth soon learns that he has been appointed Thane of Cawdor. With this good news, Lady Macbeth hatches a plan for her husband to assassinate King Duncan so he can seize the throne. The couple dispatches their monarch, but Macbeth’s anxiety proves a serious liability. Fearing an attempt on their lives, princes Malcolm and Donalbain flee Scotland. Though Macbeth now rules as King of Scotland, he cannot rest easily. He sends murderers after Banquo and his son Fleance to abort the prophecy, and though they kill Banquo, Fleance escapes into the night.
At a royal banquet, Macbeth’s guilt manifests as a visitation from the ghost of Banquo, sowing doubt among his countrymen. To soothe his nerves, he seeks out the Witches once more, who deliver unto him further auguries: he should beware Macduff; that no man of woman born can harm him; and that he has nothing to fear until Birnam Wood travels to his castle on Dunsinane Hill. To circumvent the Witches’ warnings, Macbeth sends assassins after Macduff and his family. Macduff, however, has left for England to convince Malcolm to return to his homeland with armed forces to overthrow the tyrannical Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth has become untethered from reality, tortured by the memories of her misdeeds. The loyalist forces approach Dunsinane holding branches, creating the illusion that Birnam Wood is approaching Macbeth’s stronghold. When Macbeth learns that his wife has died, he finds himself facing the inevitable. His forces face off against the loyalist army, until Macbeth comes face to face with the avenging Macduff. Macduff reveals that he was brought into the world via a caesarian section, “not of woman born.” He slays Macbeth, bringing an end to his reign of terror.
Back in the real world, the Witches and Hecate celebrate the defeat of the “Big Bad” in their D&D campaign, sharing a moment of solace, togetherness, and empowerment.
Quest Sky Zeidler
Assistant Director (original production)
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MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM, CAST AND DESIGN/TECH COLLABORATORS
Danielle Rosvally, Ph.D. (Director / Fight Director) has spent most of her life thinking about Shakespeare, and the rest of it thinking about fantasy literature. She is the author of Yassified Shakespeare: Gender Performance and Critical ShaxDrag (Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, 2026) and Theatres of Value: Buying and Selling Shakespeare in Nineteenth-Century New York City (SUNY Press, 2025). Her directing has been seen here at UB: Henry VI ii, 2024; Twelfth Night, 2021; Julius Caesar, 2019. Her fight direction has been seen regionally across the Northeast, most recently in Buffalo at Irish Classical Theatre Company’s A Skull in Connemara (2026), Or (2025), Dorian (2025), and The Loved Ones (2025). In 2025, Danielle became the first fight director ever to be nominated for an Artie Award by Buffalo Toronto Public Media for her work on Dorian.
Quest Sky Zeidler (Assistant Director) is a PhD student in Theatre and Performance, director, and performer. He earned his BA and MA at UC Santa Cruz, where he directed productions of Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson, Woyzeck by Georg Büchner, among others, and founded Loose Lips: A Lipsynch Cabaret. His chapter “Revenge of the Monster Queer” is now available in the edited volume Monstrous Utopias. He cohosts the podcast Ghosts Were People Too, which haunts whichever platform you prefer. He performs in the local Buffalo drag scene under the name Count Twinkula (@bramstokerstwinkula on Instagram). http://questskyzeidler.com
Dr. Janet Werther (Choreographer) (they/them) is an artist/scholar who works at the intersections of queer and feminist performance history, theory, and practice. Their work as a director, choreographer, and movement dramaturg prioritizes embodied storytelling and empowered relations to oneself and one's communities. Dr. J holds a BA in Dance from the University at Buffalo, an MFA in Dance & Choreography from Sarah Lawrence College, and a PhD in Theatre & Performance from The Graduate Center, CUNY. They performed professionally with The Ballez Company from 2013 to 2017, originating the role of Little Red Riding Hood in The Ballez's Sleeping Beauty and the Beast at La Mama, ETC in 2016. Dr. J is proud to teach at their undergraduate alma mater. Their book-in-progress about queer/feminist performance histories of adaptation is entitled Dyke Dramas, and they're also writing an immersive, sensory-friendly adaptation of Voyage to the Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells for young audiences of all neurotypes.
Lindsay Brandon Hunter (Intimacy Director) is an actor, intimacy specialist, and associate professor in UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Locally she has performed with theatres like the D’Youville Kavinoky (What The Constitution Means to Me) and Alleyway (Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf), and regionally with Annex Theatre, Book-it Repertory (Seattle), Vector Theatre Company (San Francisco), the Asolo Repertory Theatre (Sarasota), and the New York Neo-Futurists, where she was a founding ensemble member of the current company. She has been a proud member of Actors Equity since 2005.
Val Fish (Dramaturg) is overjoyed to be making their UB dramaturgy debut with Macbeth! They are a first year master's student in theatre and performance studies. Special thanks to Danielle for the fantastic opportunity and enjoy the show!
Christine Varnado (Dramaturg) teaches queer and trans theory, Shakespeare, and early modern literature in the departments of Global Gender & Sexuality Studies and English at UB. Her first book, The Shapes of Fancy: Reading for Queer Desire in Early Modern Literature (2020), is open access on the University of Minnesota Press website. She is at work on a book about Macbeth, abortion, infanticide, literary character, what counts as a child, and who counts as human. Always down to talk about witches and dead ghost babies.
Zephyr Freeman (Hecate / Messenger / Servant / Murderer / Doctor) is a freshman MT BFA student making their UB debut! They have loved to act since they were a little kid, and love to play DnD with their friends. This is their first time ever being a DM and now they have a lot more respect for all the DM’s out there. This cast has been so much fun and the whole tech team is outstanding, this has been so much fun! To my family, thank you for supporting my dream. To my friends, thank you for showing up.
Piper Noda (Witch 1 - Macduff) (she/they) is a freshman BFA student in the MT program at UB. She hails from Cleveland, Ohio. This is her first show at UB. Prior to this, her favorite roles were Annabeth in The Lightning Thief, Olive in Spelling Bee and Mary in Merrily We Roll Along. In her free time she enjoys D&D, animating, softball, archery, and aikido. She would like to thank her parents for driving some of her home D&D crew in for the show. Enjoy the show everyone!
Gabrielys Rosa Lozada (Witch 2 – Lady Macbeth) is a freshman Music Theater major. She is so excited to be making her debut at the University at Buffalo as Witch #2. She would like to thank all the cast, crew, and creative team for making her first rehearsal process at UB exciting. She hopes you all enjoy the show!
Madesen Clarke (Witch 3 - Banquo) is thrilled to make her onstage debut at the University at Buffalo in Macbeth. She previously worked as stage crew for UB’s 2025 production of Urinetown, where she first stepped into the compelling world that is theatre at UB. Having first performed Macbeth in high school, Madesen is extremely grateful to revisit the Shakespearean literary work in this spellbinding UB adaptation. Now ready to conjure up some more chaos as Witch 3, she’d like to give a wicked shoutout to her fellow witches, cast and crew for constantly serving looks, vibes, and, of course, the hive mind. She’s thankfully rolled a 20 and has had the most wonderful time collaborating with such a compassionate cast and crew. She can't help but feel forever grateful that this production marks the beginning of what she hopes to be many more performances at UB. ⋆˙⟡
Ty Burgess (Macbeth) (he/they) is an actor and playwright based out of the Buffalo area. He is a junior, currently pursuing an Acting BFA at University at Buffalo. Some recent productions he’s been involved in at UB include Urinetown (Hot Blades Harry), Shakespeare Showcase (co-director), and Pajama Game (Vernon Hines). Playing Macbeth has been such an illuminating experience, and he is so thrilled to be able to share it with an audience. He would like to thank every person involved in making this production possible. As well as his professors, friends, and family giving him support and guidance throughout this process.
Jo Yanko (Macduff) is a junior Theatre (B.A.) major at the University at Buffalo, and is so excited to be returning to Shakespeare with Macbeth. Previous U.B. credits include Three Sisters (Chebutykin), Chamber Music (Director, “Woman in Queenly Spanish Garb”), The Wolves (#25). They would like to thank their fellow castmates and the wonderful crew for being beyond delightful to work with, their friends and family for existing on the same planet at the same time as them, and Carye Persico, for being the greatest person in the world.
Ainsley Urbanek (Lady Macbeth / Murderer / Soldier) (she/her) - is so excited to be making her UB mainstage debut in Macbeth! She is a freshman pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre at the University at Buffalo. Some of her previous credits include Antigone (Antigone), Summer and Smoke (Nellie Ewell) and Grease (Sandy). This is her first Shakespeare production and she has fallen in love with the language, artistry and style. She would like to thank her professors, her family, and her friends for the immense support, and an extra big thank you to her loving cast and team, who has made her feel so encouraged and cared for.
Nania Francis (Banquo / Servant / Soldier) is a freshman at the University at Buffalo, where she majors in Music Theatre with a minor in Dance. Macbeth will be her first show here at UB, which she is excited about. She looks forward to the growth she will experience in herself as an artist and as a person.
Lóri Fejes (Duncan / Murderer / Soldier) (he/him) is a graduate student in the department of Theatre & Dance. He is excited to return to acting after a long hiatus and remains grateful for the patience and support of the Macbeth cast and team, including dramaturg Val, who encouraged him to audition.
Madeline Dundon (Malcolm / Messenger / Soldier) (she/her) is a freshman double major in Acting (BFA) / Theatre (BA), and she is so excited to make her UB mainstage debut! Some of her past credits include: Twelfth Night (Viola), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Gatch), The Heidi Chronicles (Lisa), and the UB Shakespeare Showcase. She would like to thank her family and friends, the Macbeth team, and, of course, her amazing castmates for making her first UB show such a beautiful and fulfilling experience!
Kendric Warrick (Fight Captain & Donalbaine / Murderer / Son / Soldier / Servant) is a 19-year old Actor, Dancer, and Singer based in Buffalo NY, and a BFA Music Theater and BA Dance Major at the University at Buffalo. He’s been cast in many shows in Western New York and recently made his Buffalo debut as of the 2025-2026 season of Shea’s 710 , starring in Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia!, and Hairspray. He hopes to grow as a performer, teacher, and person, navigating his career.
Casey Howe (Captain / Fleance / Lady Macduff / Soldier / Servant) is so excited to be making her UB debut with the cast of Macbeth! She is a first year Music Theater major with a double minor in dance and sociology from Rochester, New York. Past favorite roles include Donna (Mamma Mia), Hope Cladwell (Urinetown) and Plankton (SpongeBob the Musical). She would like to thank her castmates and directing team for putting together such a fantastic show, their endless support and keeping her sane during 10pm rehearsals. Enjoy!
Alex Fawkes (Ross / Knife Guy / Soldier) (He/they) is a latinx senior Theatre Performance BFA major at UB. This will be their last play at UB. Previous acting credits include Puffs, Three Sisters, The Intruder, C'est La Vie, Wasting Away, Almost Maine, The Pajama Game, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies and Aladdin. Other credits include WBFO radio's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (voice), A Crack in the Egg (Stage Manager), Urinetown (ASM), Mr. Burns (RASM/Head Dresser) and most recently, In The End of Times (Playwright/Director/Sound, Lights & Set Designer). They hope you enjoy this D&D rendition of the Scottish Play! You can follow him @rigel_fawkes.
Nneoma Ezeilo (Lenox / Messenger / Soldier) is a senior Nuclear Medicine Technology student. This is Nneoma’s first role in any production.
Theatre and Dance Administration and Technical Staff
Chair/Artistic Director: Meredith Conti
Associate Chair/Producing Director: Lynne Koscielniak
Department Administrator: Veronica Sedota
Senior Staff Assistant: Rob Falgiano
Administrative Assistant: Kristin Mann
Technical Director: Nick Quinn
Production Manager: Ally Hasselback
Assistant Technical Directors: Tom Burke, Erich Frank
Scenic Artist and Head of Stage Properties: J. Marc Quattlebaum
Scene Shop Instructional Support: Hannah D’Elia
Costume Shop Manager: Max Levitt
Assistant Costume Shop Manager: Cindy Darling
Costume Shop Assistant: Judith Curtis
Production Photographer: Eric Tronolone
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & SPONSORS
The UB Department of Theatre and Dance is a proud member of the UB College of Arts and Sciences.
With a firm commitment to the advancement of creative research, experiential learning, and community engagement, the UBTHD 2026-2027 Production Season is administered by the Department of Theatre and Dance. We acknowledge our full faculty and staff for their part in preparing students for work on stage and behind the scenes.
We thank UB Center for the Arts for their support in making these productions possible.
UB Theatre and Dance wishes to acknowledge the generous continued philanthropic support of Fox Run at Orchard Park, an official contributing sponsor of the UBTHD 2026-2027 season.
