Bringing Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Operatic Heights

In anticipation of Verdi’s Macbeth opening at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, Washington National Opera’s Artistic Director Francesca Zambello interviews Macbeth director, Brenna Corner.

FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO: Verdi has an unending fascination with Shakespeare. Why are these plays such a good fit for Verdi’s aesthetic? So many composers have taken on Shakespeare, but very few of these operas have succeeded or stayed in the repertory. Why?

BRENNA CORNER: I think the humanity that exists in Shakespeare’s pieces, because they are such a deep exploration of all the many facets of what it is to be human, lend themselves to opera in such an extraordinary way. In specific ways, we can explore them on a bigger scale than you can explore in a play, so I think when Verdi takes on Shakespeare’s pieces, he’s delving deeper into the elements that Shakespeare had already written. I think that’s what is so fascinating about Shakespearian operas.

ZAMBELLO: What does this story have to teach us? It tells us something about the dark side of human nature, the potential of evil in all of us.

CORNER: For me, this story teaches us about choice and, at the end of the day, it’s up to every individual to choose how they will live and about how they will function, and where they will draw the line for what they believe good is, and what evil is. In some cases, this is very empowering because we get to choose who we will be, and that, I think, is an essential message.

ZAMBELLO: The chorus appears a huge amount, they are party guests, two armies, refugees… How do you handle this?

CORNER: (Laughing) With a lot of scheduling, a lot of costume changes, and I also think it’s about making sure, except for the witches, that they are always the same sort of person. They are an army; then they are generals of the army at a banquet, then they are generals of the army that have left Scotland and are now refugees, so that they can actually track through one entire character journey for some of the chorus. Some of the chorus don’t have that option; they just get to play multiple people.

ZAMBELLO: Lady Macbeth…talk about the demands and maybe talk a little about why Ewa Plonka and Étienne Dupuis are so great.

CORNER: The thing for me that is interesting about Lady Macbeth is that, in the opera, so much of our experience with her is in arias or duets. She doesn’t exist in many scenes in any other way, which is true in the play, but you get to see her—she just has more little scenes in the play. What’s fascinating is that you need someone who can create the arc through these big duets and big arias, because that is the fundamental way of how you are going to understand the character and the character’s descent into madness with the sleepwalking scene. So you need someone powerful enough and strong enough to be able to create that arc over the entire evening, and that’s what Ewa is pretty extraordinary at—the ability to sort of just keep that energy, both vocally and dramatically, going for that duration of time.

ZAMBELLO: In the sleepwalking scene, do you think she is remorseful, or is she just, at that point, afraid of being caught? What do you think?

CORNER: I think she would not call it remorseful, but I think part of her insides are remorseful for what has happened, and I think that’s where the struggle comes; that’s where her eventual death comes from—her internal struggle, that what she has done is bad, which is why she keeps seeing the blood, why she is constantly being tormented in her own mind by those actions. So, in the sleepwalking scene, we get to see what I think we as sort of “normal” humans would call regret, but I don’t think that she, in her waking hours, has any regrets at all.

ZAMBELLO: Say a few words about Étienne Dupuis, the French-Canadian baritone debuting in his role.

CORNER: Étienne is doing a marvelous job as Macbeth. In the same way, Ewa has to create that extended journey for us through the whole piece, he has to do the same, but his arc is sort of the reverse of hers. While she starts extraordinarily strong and has to descend, Macbeth always starts in a world not as strong as himself. He is more manipulatable and then he has to grow in his strength and grow in his resolve to get to the point that he can order the killings, that fact that, even when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, he doesn’t just give up, he still tries to go to battle and still ends up fighting Macduff, to find out he was not born of a woman. It’s really interesting because they both have these trajectories, and they sort of cross in the middle in their big Act III duet. That’s, for me, the moment when they are almost one another’s equal, and he then rises above it in his strength and determination, and she descends into her madness.

Francesca Zambello, the internationally acclaimed director, is a trailblazer in the world of opera and theater. Known for her bold vision and innovative productions, Zambello has captivated audiences at iconic venues such as The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Royal Opera House. As Artistic Director of Washington National Opera and Glimmerglass Festival, she has redefined the future of the art form with her daring interpretations and commitment to storytelling. Praised for her “theatrical flair and emotional depth” (The Guardian), Zambello’s groundbreaking work across opera, musical theater, and film has made her one of the most influential and sought-after directors in the performing arts today.

Brenna Corner has worked as a director, actor, singer, choreographer, and fight director across Canada, the United States and Europe. Brenna has been a member of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera as well as the Atlanta Studio Artist Program. Ms. Corner is also the artistic director of Manitoba Underground Opera in Winnipeg, Canada.

Corner made her directorial mainstage debut creating a new production of Hansel and Gretel designed by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop for Vancouver Opera. That same year she also made her American debut with New Orleans Opera creating a new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Since them she has been directing and creating shows across the United States and Canada.

Select directing projects include: Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera); Hansel and Gretel (San Diego Opera); Pygmalion and Sweeney Todd (New Orleans Opera); Der fliegende Höllander (Cincinnati Opera); L’Elisir d’Amore (Vancouver Opera); Carmen (The Atlanta Opera); Noye’s Fludd and Scalia/Ginsburg (Glimmerglass Festival); L’Elisir d’Amore (Vancouver Opera) The Four Note Opera (Yulanda M. Faris Vancouver Opera Young Artist Program), Cendrillon & La Clemenza di Tito (Manitoba Underground Opera), Béatrice et Benedict (Fraser Lyric Opera), Die Lustig Witwe (Vancouver Music Academy). Select assistant directing projects include: The Siege of Calais, La bohème (Glimmerglass Opera Festival); Carmen (Canadian Opera Company); Madama Butterfly and Stickboy (Vancouver Opera), Der Fliegende Hollander and L’Italiana in Algeri (Calgary Opera).

She is also a certified member of Fight Directors Canada and has choreographed many fights for both opera and theatre. Brenna has a degree in music from The University of Manitoba, and theater diplomas from Grant MacEwan College and The British American Drama Academy.