The 1936 production of Macbeth in Harlem, New York City, directed by Orson Welles, is often referred to as “Voodoo Macbeth.” (“Voodoo” is the common term for an often misunderstood collection of Caribbean religious practices.) The production used the original text of the play but set it on a fictional Caribbean island similar to Haiti, with the famous witches replaced by priests performing traditional Haitian rituals. It had an all-Black cast of 150 people, which was a revolutionary concept for performances of Shakespeare at the time. Welles, who is white, knew that the audience of this
"Voodoo Macbeth"
"Voodoo Macbeth"
"Voodoo Macbeth"
The 1936 production of Macbeth in Harlem, New York City, directed by Orson Welles, is often referred to as “Voodoo Macbeth.” (“Voodoo” is the common term for an often misunderstood collection of Caribbean religious practices.) The production used the original text of the play but set it on a fictional Caribbean island similar to Haiti, with the famous witches replaced by priests performing traditional Haitian rituals. It had an all-Black cast of 150 people, which was a revolutionary concept for performances of Shakespeare at the time. Welles, who is white, knew that the audience of this