"Here lies Macbeth. Hail. Hail. Hail."
This Halloween, The Sundown Players bring their supernatural new production, ‘The Horror of Macbeth’, to Basement Theatre
Emerging artist company The Sundown Players will stage this tight 75-minute reimagining of Shakespeare's classic tragedy at Basement Theatre from 27–31 October 2026; featuring a mighty ensemble cast of 11 that embraces gender-nonconforming performers - bringing a bold, queer reinvention to these well-known leads - and an ambitious technical design complete with Basement’s first-ever Peppers Ghost illusion.
A supernatural Macbeth, freshly cut
Directed by and starring Laika Rountree (The Ballad of the Duct Tape Cowboy and Six Shot Cinderella’) as Lady Macbeth, this production strips Shakespeare's text back to its spookiest, most supernatural bones. Rountree has edited the script down to a lean 75 minutes, sharpening the play's witchcraft, prophecy and horror for an immersive experience at Basement Theatre.
“I am always so entranced when Shakespeare uses magic in his plays, but I find it consistently one of the more handwaved away elements of the plays. I wanted to bring to life a version of Macbeth that believes in and celebrates the magic in the text… And I wanted this show to be gay as hell; I wanted people to see a transfemme Lady Macbeth cast spells. And I was damned if I was going to wait around to see it happen without me.”
Director & Performer Laika Rountree
Jessica Bennett (‘An Enemy of the People’) takes on the titular role of Macbeth opposite Rountree, leading a bulging cast of 11 performers bringing the doomed Scottish court to life.
"This is simultaneously the most excited and the most terrified I have ever been about a role. Macbeth is already a story where the plot thickens very fast, but condensed into 75 minutes makes this one a fantastically violent snowball."
Performer Jessica Bennett
The design team have built the production around full audience immersion from the moment they step into the theatre - including a technically ambitious Pepper's Ghost illusion, the first of its kind to be staged at Basement Theatre. The effect will be realised by Set Designer Luka Hayward, Lighting Designer Rae Jocelyn and Technical Stage Manager Alylai Flynn.
Event Details
The Horror of Macbeth
Presented by The Sundown Players, with Basement Theatre
When: 27–31 October 2026, 6:30pm
Where: Basement Theatre Studio, Auckland
Running Time: 75 minutes (no interval)
Price: Choose What You Pay $8 - $100
Book: www.iticket.co.nz/events/2026/oct/the-horror-of-macbeth
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