Michigan Shakespeare Festival

David Blixt's journey to Macbeth

"Actor, author, father and husband. In reverse order." is David's self-introduction on his website. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, he has been acting professionally since his senior year of high school.

The Michigan Shakespeare Festival first met David 12 years ago, in the Festival's second season, and he stayed with us four more years before moving to Chicago. He returned in 2000 and directed Richard III; since then he's been busy at home including several appearances at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Last fall he performed with Stacy Keach in Bob Falls' nationally acclaimed KING LEAR at the Goodman Theatre. Blixt and his wife Jan are co- founders of A Crew of Patches, a Shakespearean repertory company in which he acts, directs, and choreographs the violence.

Blixt returns to the festival this year to play the lead in "Macbeth." He relishes the complexity of humanizing a man on a downward spiral.

"Mac's journey is from decent soldier to blood-soaked fiend," Blixt explains, "from a man of reason and consequence to a brutal beast who sees everyone through a veil of blood."

Yet, he maintains "there is no value in making Mac evil. If he's bad to the bone from the time the play starts, there is no Tragedy in his demise."

"And we have to remember," Blixt continues, "this is the tragedy of Macbeth, not of Scotland. It's him we're supposed to be caring about, and to do that, we have to take the journey with him.

The journey continues in July.