Hunter Living Histories

Actor Who Played Macbeth Identified

The following selection of photographs were taken in the early 1960s and part of the much larger Hannan Photographic archive held in the University of Newcastle’s Special Collections since 2014 and have been identified by Career-Ready Placement (WIL) student undertaking GLAM sector  experience at the Auchmuty Library’s GLAMx Lab.

University of Newcastle Bachelor of Arts student, Mackenzie Haynes, began her work Career-Ready Placement (WIL) placement in Special Collections mid-2023. Mackenzie’s project was digitising part of the extensive Hannan Archive, scanning 300+ photographic negatives and part of the project was identifying a set of theatrical images, to enable her to develop her research and metadata creation skills as well as opportunity to engage with the wider community. Photos were scanned from negatives and there was no descriptions ascribed

You can read Mackenzie’s report below. Her personal interest in theatre and drama meant she was enthusiastic to undertake further research, with her curiosity we were able to reach out to the Hannan photographic creators to help us learn more about the subjects in photos which are part of the University’s largest regional photographic archives. Paul Hannan recalled Macbeth was played by John Stowell. We reached out to Jill and John Stowell who kindly provided further information.

Shakespearian plays

Shakespeare, best known for his plays, poetry and devious ways, created timeless pieces of literature that to this day still hold a great significance to a wide range of audiences.

William Shakespeare is quite possibly one of the best known English playwrights in history with his plays still being readapted and performed on stages and screens throughout the world.  With their  witty (and sometimes crude)  lines,  iconic tragedies, and captivating  characters,  the Shakespearian  plays  are  timeless  pieces  of  art. This is especially evident with his work, ‘Macbeth’.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Believed to have been written sometime around 1606 and performed around the same time, ‘Macbeth’ is one of Shakespeare’s most bloody tragedies. ‘Macbeth’ follows the life, and eventual death, of Macbeth a Scottish general whose encounter with three otherworldly creatures, the Three Witches, leaves him yearning for ultimate power. Macbeth’s descent into madness is rivaled only by his wife, Lady Macbeth, whose own ambitions and greed cause her own tragic downfall from respected lady of the court to murderess.

Macbeth make its way to Newcastle theatres

With its iconic monologues and its universal themes of greed and power, it leaves no questions as to why ‘Macbeth’ is still to this day so popular among theatre and cinematic audiences. Because of this, it is easy to believe that the love and admiration for Shakespeare and his ‘Macbeth’ should make its way to Newcastle theatres.

Production: ‘Macbeth’  was performed at the Union Theatre, Newcastle University College, Tighes Hill, taken June/July, 1961.

Location:  Shakespeare’s Macbeth, joint production by Theatre Arts Guild and newly formed Student Players.

Producer: Cherry Anderson

Designer: Tony Tripp

Macbeth cast and student members

Many thanks to John and Jill Stowell for sharing their recollections of the Macbeth production performed in Newcastle in 1961.

“The photos were not taken at the actual production, but likely at the Hannan studio, commissioned by Joyce Williams, an ambitious actress with a strong desire to create a career using drama in the context of psychotherapy. In 1961 she was the wife of Eric Williams, an engineer at a Newcastle industrial firm. Joyce completed a degree in psychology and later was a therapist in Sydney using drama as a tool.

Macbeth was likely the first play performed in the newly opened Union Theatre/ Hall/ Dining room at Tighes Hill. It had a sort of hole in the wall shop/servery supplying simple lunch fare, tea and coffee at lunch time, a step up from the earlier outside shed near the sports oval shared with the Tech, where the customary order was a cream horn and a packet of Peter Stuyvesant, but it did make rehearsing difficult.  A large barn of a place, a utility hall with large glass windows and a high stage suitable for assemblies, it was not ideal for theatrical performances, but we managed, and hosted the Intervarsity Drama Festival there in 1964 to great acclaim.

Cherry Anderson, the producer of Macbeth, gets a great wrap in the NMH of 24.08.1961 as she shook off the dust of Newcastle and separation from philosopher Sandy Anderson, son of the great John Anderson. Following this she had two daughters with second husband Horst Grimm, newspaper compositor, with him moved to Germany and became a distinguished author of fantasy novels under the name of Cherry Wilder.

Tony Tripp, designer of Macbeth, gained a reputation in Newcastle as designer of the Mattara Festival and resident set designer for NBN3, before he moved to Melbourne and served for many years as resident designer for the Melbourne Theatre Company. His wife Helen Tripp (née Featherstone) who played the first witch in Macbeth also went on to a successful career in stage and television in Melbourne.

Many of the other student members of the cast of Macbeth went on to rewarding careers in the NSW teaching service. Michael Taper, who played Banquo, was head of language teaching at Newcastle High for many years, with expertise in French and German.” (John Stowell, November 2023)

The following photographs are studio shots from production of ‘Macbeth’  that was performed at the Union Theatre, Newcastle University College, Tighes Hill, taken June/July, 1961.

 

“Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ‘t.”- Act  1 Scene  5,  Lady  Macbeth  (Macbeth).

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!” – The Three Witches (Macbeth).”

 

If you are a student and would like undertake a Career Ready Placement with us contact Dr Ann Hardy

More Newcastle University College Student Theatrical Productions

For other Student Theatrical Productions of the Newcastle Newcastle College 1958-1965

The Newcastle University College Revues 1958-1965