Scarborough actor Christopher York returns to town's theatre to star in two-hander version of Macbeth

Macbeth is presented by The Faction which, ever since their critically acclaimed and award-winning production of Twelfth Night in 2012, has steadily gained a reputation for intelligent and kinetic re-imaginings of Shakespeare, staging interpretations of seven plays and one of his narrative poems.

Now, The Faction returns to Shakespeare for the first time in four years with his fast-paced tragedy Macbeth performed by two actors.

The play is presented from the perspective of the Macbeths themselves, beginning in the divide between battlefield and homefront and concluding in a desperate Bonnie and Clyde showdown.

Director Mark Leipacher said: “It’s easy to find commentators framing the play as an ambitious couple who conspire to commit a murder and subsequently unravel.

"The Faction sees Bellona, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth bound together by an unspeakable loss, and now they believe that life owes them something in return.

For them, the assassination of the king is not so much a murder as a revenge killing. This is a raw, intimate and surprising portrayal of a famous partnership for first-time audiences and seasoned theatregoers alike.”

Bellona and Macbeth are played by Sophie Spreadbury and Scarborough-born actor/writer Christopher York, directed by The Faction’s Artistic Director Mark Leipacher.

Christopher’s one-woman play Build A Rocket, featuring Serena Manteghi and directed by Stephen Joseph’s artistic director Paul Robinson, was premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre four years ago.

He also played the title role in the stage version of Patricia Highsmith’s Talented Mr Ripley for Faction which visited the theatre three years ago.

The creative team includes set and costumes by Sophia Simensky, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli, sound by Rebekah Alero, adaptation by Mark Leipacher, dramaturgy by Gareth Jandrell, production photography by Christa Holka, with stage managers Stephanie Siraut and Freddy Sherwood. Macbeth is produced by Lisa Cagnacci, Mark Leipacher and Rachel Valentine Smith for The Faction.

Macbeth can be seen at the Stephen Jseph at 6pm on Wednesday October 12 October and 7.30pm on Thursday October 13, Friday October 14 and Saturday October 15 with matinees at 1.30pm on Thursday October 13 and Friday October 14.

Tickets, priced from £10, are available from the box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com

The Faction is an international theatre ensemble interpreting classic texts with a contemporary aesthetic to engage and excite local, national and international audiences.

Peter Brook Award and Off West End Award winners for Best Ensemble, the company has a further 17 award nominations for individual actors, directors, designers and stage managers and productions from the Off West End Awards, London Theatre Awards, and National Stage Management Awards.

An Associate Ensemble of New Diorama Theatre from 2010 to 2016, where The Faction presented four sell-out and critically acclaimed repertory seasons garnering four-star reviews from The Evening Standard, The Guardian and The Independent.

The Faction has been an associate company of Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.