By William Shakespeare
Directed by Conner Wilson
Post Theatre, Long Island University
2026
Set Designer: Patti Panyakaew
Costume Designer: Jess Beyer
Lighting Designer: Sam Weiser
Sound Designer: Daniel DeGeorges
Stage Manager: Ellie Buening
Assistant Stage Manager: Mikayla Zeldin
Assistant Directors: Clare Newman & Yi Yan Chen
Dramaturg: Madison McQuade
Our vision for Macbeth is set in the 1930s Depression era and the 1940s World War II. The bunker structure is based on the architecture of blockage during the Siege of Leningrad, when the Soviet Union camouflaged the city with wooden boards and nets draped over statues and important buildings.
The set creates a tower that envelops the courtyard — this is the palace. It is made up of wooden planks, boards, and I-beams that hold the entire structure together within a pristine white world. The actors are present throughout the play, seated on chairs on either side of the deck, looking on as the story unfolds.
In the final movement, the concept envisions non–weight-bearing poles lifted by the army as Birnam Wood comes to life. As these elements rise, the structure begins to disassemble, visually manifesting the collapse of power and the unraveling of Macbeth’s constructed world.
Photo Credits: Patti Panyakaew and Wavelight Photography
Design Concept Sketches
Design Model