Opera Scotland

Macbeth 1978Tayside Opera

Read more about the opera Macbeth

Only a few months after Scottish Opera's staging by David Pountney, it might have seemed rash of any amateur group to have a stab at Macbeth. But the audiences for the two companies do not really overlap, with what happens in the central belt often seeming remote. The Taysiders efforts met with some cponsiderable success. A sensible decision was taken to break the run by not performing on the Wednesday, allowing the company a day off during a tiring run.

The driving force behind this staging was the company's lead baritone Bill Dewar, who also, in the absence of a credible published version, produced his own singing translation of the text, bringing in as much as he could of the original Shakespeare. Mary Timmons continued to show her versatility as a Verdian soprano, while the company was joined by David Button as Banquo. Recently returned from working in the USA, he would be a leading performer for many years in the future.

Cast details are from a flyer in the Lamb Collection of Dundee Central Library. At that point in planning, the role of Macduff had not yet been confirmed.