Something Wicked this Way Comes: Macbeth at Williston

by Brendan Hellweg ’14

Upon entering the Williston Theater it is nearly impossible not to notice the gorgeous set: it is both on the stage and above the audience, ropes hung from the catwalks above the audience. A primarily minimalistic set, the ropes are the only part that is not full black or stone colored and represent the “strings of fate” that the witches seem to weave for Macbeth.

The beautiful set is only one of several jobs Charles Raffetto was responsible for. He has burnt the candle at both ends: directing, stage managing, set designing, and casting for the play all at once. Even one of these jobs is enough to make someone want to complain about their “unfair” responsibilities, so when I heard that he had taken on all of these jobs, I worried that this huge burden might be too much, but Mr. Raffetto exceeded all my expectations and cast away any doubts with the powerful production of Macbeth he put on. Under this incredible pressure he managed to shine and create something worth giving two hours of my life for.

It’s an extremely dark, somber play. No true happy ending exists besides the death of the protagonist, and even the story of the “conquering” Macduff, played by Timi Onafowakan, ended in sorrow, his entire family brutally murdered. Besides the humorous monologue by a drunken porter, played by my friend, Henry Lombino, which was a rather dirty, lecherous  shining light in the otherwise depressing play, there were nearly no parts that didn’t make you want to cringe at how cruel people could be or gape at the depths of guilt murder bestows on a man.

The acting was excellent, although at points I could not understand what certain people were saying, and not everyone thought that the “no flash photography” rule was anything more than the vaguest of guidelines, as evidenced by the woman who happened to sit near me when I went to the play. Kiernan Zehring plays an excellent Macbeth, his breastplate being far too large for him to highlight how he was not really an extraordinary man but one who thrust himself into the most extraordinary and depraved of circumstances. His cutthroat dagger evidenced this: it was nothing in comparison to his soon to be killers’ swords. He acted with skill and vicious anger: an excellent way of showing a lowly thane whose level of power was not earned in any means and simply stolen from those who deserved it.

The one part of it that I did not enjoy by any means was the fight scenes, which were given surprisingly little attention for such a large part of the play. The actors looked like twelve year olds playing with sticks, not warriors fighting for their lives! I couldn’t imagine how these sections were given so little thought.

However, these almost laughable moments were more than balanced out by the excellent acting, tasteful costumes, and beautiful set design. I hope that this show was seen and appreciated by many, and that everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did. It earned the attention the audience gave it and was absolutely worth an evening at the theater.

Read more about theater at Williston.

On Monday, May 23, students in all sections of World Civilizations will present their work at The Williston Northampton School’s fourth annual Africa Museum. The event is free, open to the public, and parents are encouraged to attend. The museum opens at 6:00 p.m. in the Athletic Center at 80 Park Street. At 7:00 p.m. the speaker portion of the program, featuring two Williston faculty members, will begin.

At the Africa Museum, students present their work in the format of a science fair with original, interactive displays. This year, the World Civilizations unit on Africa focused on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Each section of the course has been looking at a different goal and assessing how far the UN has come, as well as what still needs to be done to reach the goal. 

Two members of the Williston community will speak at 7:00 p.m. regarding their experiences studying and living in Africa. Music teacher Ben Demerath studied music in Ghana through This World Music and UMass Amherst Drum & Dance Cultural Field Study. English teacher Janice Hanley lived in Liberia in the 1970s while she and her husband served in the Peace Corps.

View a slideshow of last year’s Africa Museum.

Jonathan Deaton, a junior honor student at The Williston Northampton School, is also an accomplished gymnast. A member of the Men’s Junior Olympic National Team, Jon recently competed in the Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships in Long Beach, CA. He placed sixth All-Around and finished in second place on the floor exercise. His performance earned him a spot in the USA Gymnastics National Championships that will be held in St. Paul, MN, in August.

Jon’s academic achievement was also recognized. For the third year in a row, he received First Team Academic All-American recognition for having a GPA greater than 3.85. Watch a video of Jon’s performance for the All-Around finals competition.

The Spring Choral Concert takes place Tuesday, May 17, at 7:30pm in the Phillips Stevens Chapel at 45 Park Street. For those unable to attend, the concert will be available via live webcast.

A cappella groups the Caterwaulers and Widdigers will sing an eclectic program spanning the globe, with music from Korea, Brazil, and Eastern Europe, as well as American music from doo-wop and jazz to country and pop. Both groups will give a special nod to the “boy bands” of the ’90s.

The main event of the concert is a performance of the entire Vivaldi Gloria by the Teller Chorus and Chamber Orchestra, featuring soloists Debbie Andres, Nick Brady, Nicole Eskenazi, Connor Sheehan, and Ali Wheeler. In all, the concert features almost 50 students.

To view the concert, go to www.williston.com/live at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

Also coming soon is the Spring Dance Concert on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Williston Theatre, and the Spring Instrumental Concert on Tuesday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dodge Room of the Reed Campus Center. All performances are open to the public.

The Williston Northampton School will host its semiannual blood drive for the American Red Cross on Friday, May 27. The drive will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Reed Campus Center at 40 Park Street. All are welcome to attend, particularly parents who might wish to take part with their children in what has become a tradition at Williston.

During last year’s spring blood drive, 112 donors gave 97 pints, enough blood to save over 291 lives. About 30 student, faculty, and parent volunteers to organized and worked the drive. Williston placed second in Massachusetts for the Bob’s Discount Furniture High School Heroes $100,000 Scholarship Program with an 89% participation rate, and we are hoping for similar success this year.

In order to donate blood, individuals must be generally healthy and at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated in the last eight weeks. The entire donation process takes 50 to 60 minutes. The staff takes care to make sure that donors feel “good to go” before they leave. To help ensure a successful blood draw, donors are encouraged to “pump up” before the big day with iron-rich foods like raisins and apricots, spinach, almonds, beans, fortified cereals, tuna, or turkey.

For more information, including tips for a good donation experience and more reasons to give blood, visit www.givelife.org.