Come, relieve me of my feminine weakness, and infuse me with the most vicious cruelty.
Prelude
Macbeth, a classic tragedy written by Shakespeare, tells the story of the ambitious Macbeth who, guided by prophecy and encouraged by his lady, murders the king and ascends to the throne, only to be ultimately betrayed and destroyed. Lady Macbeth is a powerful female figure in the play, and her complex gender roles deserve to be explored in depth.
For the first Lumos play reading of 2024, we will revisit the character of Lady Macbeth and the portrayal of gender in the play around the theme of sexism.
Macbeth
Script Reading Open for Recruitment
After Antigone, we have chosen a classic play that delves into gender issues. Macbeth's portrayal of female characters and reflections on masculinity are worth exploring in depth.
Time and location
- 31 August, 1 September, 7 September
- 8am BST 7pm CEST
- Lasts about 1 hour
- Tencent conference, conference number will be announced in WeChat group chat
Tips：The Macbeth text will be in full English, so it is recommended that you pre-read the text and record your thoughts in advance for sharing.
A script reading session, an event in which multiple people sit around and read a script aloud, is a form of performance that falls somewhere between a script and a performance. By sitting together before rehearsals and interpreting the script in a read-aloud, the writer or director is able to make judgements in advance and demand more precision from the script or the actors. Playwrights also use this as a way to polish their scripts, often holding multiple readings from the beginning of the writing process to the final presentation.
Through these readings, we can deeply appreciate the beauty of the language, the ups and downs of the plot, and the intensity of the emotions. With face-to-face reading, the actors are able to grasp the rhythm and emotion word by word, and a play reading is also a memorable emotional exchange for the actors.
Content and Form
The theme of Lumos 2024 is: Women
The reading will be conducted in English, with the main moments of the play being analysed.
We will provide the script in English. It is recommended that you read and record your thoughts in advance so that they can be shared and discussed. The facilitator will post the reading material in the group. The facilitator will use English to moderate the session, and discussion in English will be encouraged.
Please copy the link for the script：https://flgr.sh/txtfssMacpdf
In each shared reading session, we will read and analyse a different segment focusing on Lady Macbeth and the portrayal of gender roles in the play. Each session will include:
- 5-minute icebreaker session
- 40-minute shared reading of the play
- 15 minutes of Q&A and discussion
Two points of the shared reading session
Role-reading: participants will read in turn as characters from the play, with a leader responsible for leading the exchange and exploration;
Thematic discussion: participants will take turns to analyse each segment in depth and discuss the complexity of gender roles;
Summarising and reviewing: the leader will summarise and the participants will be able to record the key points of the discussion.
Macbeth
Introduction of the Leader
01 Leader
Lingqi ZHAO
11th grade student, currently in Austin, Texas, USA
Experienced in theatre
Passionate about dancing and writing
‘It took the lead reader 30 seconds to take this picture.’
02 Lead Readers
Mengyu ZHANG
Year 11, Heiwa IB Student
Starred in Frankenstein and many other classic plays, loves chemistry and biology.
‘Theatre is the epitome of life.’
Join us if you：
- Love of theatre/musical theatre/acting
- Would like to learn about different acting systems
- Would like to learn some script reading skills
- Want to get some public speaking opportunities
- I want to know what it's like to be a theatre professional
- I would like to make friends with people who love theatre
Welcome to the Lumos 2024 script reading together!
Registration: Scan the QR code to register.
This reading session will not charge any fees.
Limited places, according to the registration time to select the admission!
Who we are
Lumos is our online theatre festival, with the inaugural theme of ‘Theatre Presentation, Exchange and Experience’.
Lumos started online, the internet allows us to reach a wider audience, and although the epidemic has limited our travelling, the internet allows us to meet freely;
Lumos doesn't want to be a project for foreigners to export their culture, nor is it a project for profit-making organisations to sell their products, but rather an event organised by ‘young people interested in theatre’ in international schools.
We are a group of high school students who love theatre.
Guangzhou Bayside International School Shanghai American School SAS Shanghai WLSA School Shanghai Baoyugang School Beijing Lecheng International School
Beijing Eleventh School International Department Xi'an Gaoxin First Middle School United World Colleges
Culver Academies, Indiana, USA Cranbrook Schools, Michigan, USA
The list is growing...
Welcome to the organisation of the Lumos Theatre Festival as we plan for Spring 2025!