Double Double Toil and Trouble!

Have you ever heard not to tell an actor “Good luck!” and instead to say “break a leg!”? Well, that is just one theater superstition. But did you know that Waukees Fall Play also has a superstition around it? Waukee’s play this year is Macbeth! Macbeth is a bloody tragic tale that Waukee Theatre Arts is so excited to share with you. But with such a horrific show the legend of the Macbeth Superstition has gone along with it.

The Macbeth superstition is a tale that some people believe that saying Macbeth in a theater is “bad luck” or “cursing the show”. The exception is however if you are doing the show, which we are.  But are we still safe? While even non-theater people know about this curse, many people do not know why this show has such a legendary curse surrounding it. The curse has even stemmed to different languages and even sign language! 

Before understanding the curse, you must first understand the story of Macbeth and the plot and characters that bring Shakespeare’s play to life. English teacher Mrs. Beeson provides us with a perfect summary of the show. With great insight and detail that you would not get from a simple Google search. “The play opens as Macbeth, a valiant Scottish general, receives a prophecy from three witches that he will one day be King. Fueled by unchecked ambition and his wife’s encouragement to make this a reality, he murders the very king that he is sworn to protect. In Macbeth‘s quest to maintain his usurped power, he sets off a chain of events characterized by his guilt and paranoia, leaving an alarming body count in his wake. As civil war erupts and Macbeth’s reign unravels, the play becomes a haunting exploration of the corrosive nature of unchecked ambition and the power of guilt.” 

There are many reasons why Macbeth is believed to be a cursed show; one of them stems from Shakespeare himself. Some people believe that Shakespeare conspired with real witches before making the show and that the lines that Shakespeare wrote for the three witches are cursed. It has been pondered that ingredients like fenny snake, eye of newt, and toe of frog are supposedly real spells. And since the show begins with the witches summoning spirits, if this is true the show is cursed right at the beginning of the show.

The other reason that Macbeth might be troubled is the numerous stage accidents. Legend has it that the first performance of the show was a disaster because the actress playing Lady Macbeth died and so Shakespeare himself had to fill in for the role. Others say that this was a joke by a critic and that is where the superstition started. In 1948 an actress fell offstage during Act 5 Scene 1 after telling reporters she didn’t believe in the curse. 

Another rumor is that real weapons have been confused for fake ones and used in fight scenes specifically when Macbeth murders the king. This resulted in the actor’s death. Another incident was the New York Astor Riot In New York in 1849. The riot was between English and American actors who were both playing Macbeth at rival theaters. The riot resulted in 20 deaths and over 100 injuries. 

Another example is in 1937 when an actor playing Macbeth nearly died because of a stage weight falling mere inches away from where he was. In that same production, Lady Macbeth and the director got into a car crash. In that production, they also used real weapons and one flew into the audience giving a man a heart attack. 

In another production in 1942 three actors died and the costume designer died of suicide.

 Another actor playing Macbeth died in 1947 and even more riots in 1971. Besides these events, there have been many falls, spills, and anything you can think of as a theater mishap. Our show in specific might be cursed because we are doing a show on the most cursed day of the year Friday the 13th. 

Luckily though if you happen to say Macbeth in a theater there is a solution and here are the steps. 

1. Exit the theater. 
2. Spin around three times.
3. Spit
4. Curse or say a line from another Shakespeare show.
5. Knock three times. 
6. Ask to be allowed back into the theater.

Out of the 71 members of cast and crew in Waukees Macbeth 54 were interviewed and asked if they believed the superstition or not. 19 people said yes and 35 said no. While few believe in the curse they all have good reasoning for their belief. Senior Ethan Mitchell shares why he believes in superstition. “During my Sophomore year, my speech team ensemble group was performing at a State contest. During our script, we made fun of the Macbeth curse, and one of our group members forgot their lines after we said “Macbeth” 

In contrast, senior Sadie Gifford who said no shared why she doesn’t believe in the curse. “Although I do believe in some superstitions, the one concerning Macbeth is too absurd for me to accept its existence. It’s almost impossible to avoid saying the word “Macbeth” while in the theater. Besides, if I die from a curse in high school, that’s a pretty cool way to go out!” 

After completing this article we went to watch a Macbeth dress rehearsal where two props went missing, someone choked on blood and the sound board stopped working. Many actors were saying “Do you believe in the curse now?” 
There is no doubt that Macbeth is a great show. As historians and students agree, the messages from this play are lessons society should take with us as the problems Macbeth faces are ones we are dealing with today. With famous lines like “Double-Double Toil and Trouble” and “Knock Knock Whos There?” There is no reason you shouldn’t go see the show. And we are not the only ones who see that because the college students at Iowa are also putting on this production. So if you have time this weekend performances of Macbeth are happening Thursday, October 12th at 7:00 PM, Friday, October 13th at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, October 15th at 2:00 PM. And remember if you see a mistake on stage it’s not the production, it’s the curse!