This March, Shakespeare & Company will stage sensory-friendly and open-captioned performances of the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by Kirstin L. Daniel and Kevin G. Coleman.
The sensory-friendly performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, at the Tina Packer Playhouse. A pre-show walk-through is planned for Friday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m. While all are welcome to attend, sensory-friendly performances have been adapted to be less overwhelming to the senses and are designed to welcome individuals with various sensory needs, including people on the autism spectrum, those living with cognitive, social, or physical challenges, first-time theatergoers, and others.
Modifications to the performance space, including reduced-intensity lighting and sound effects, dimmed house lights for the duration of the performance, a sensory-friendly guide that includes story synopses, theater maps, and other “what to expect” content, quiet spaces, communication boards, and opportunities to visit the theater the day before the performance to become familiar with the space, create a more relaxed environment.
On Saturday, March 22, the tour returns to stage two open-captioned performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Open captioning features a large projection screen above the stage, displaying the text the actors are reciting via “supertitles.” They are accessible to Deaf or hard-of-hearing audience members, though all are welcome to attend.
Shakespeare & Company’s sensory-friendly and open-captioned performances were launched in 2023 through the generosity of the GKV Foundation. The 2025 Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare is made possible by theatre works!, Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of Arts Midwest, and support from the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Fund, The Janey Fund Charitable Trust, Mill Town Foundation, and many others. For more information about the pre-show walk-through for the sensory-friendly show, email Kirstin Daniel at kdaniel@shakespeare.org.
The 2025 cast of the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare’s Macbeth includes:
Shiree Adkins
Shiree hails from Baton Rouge, La., and trained at the landmark Howard University, earning her BFA in Theatre Arts before subsequently getting her Masters at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Keeping God first, Shiree is so grateful for this journey as she continues growing in her practice.
Leslie Field
Leslie is thrilled to be spending the season reveling in the passionate and witchy world of Macbeth. Leslie is a Massachusetts-based actor and performing artist and has been an Education Artist at Shakespeare & Company since 2022. She is a graduate of the two-year conservatory at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland, and received a B.A. from UMass Amherst. She has trained and studied at the Roy Hart Center in France, the Pig Iron School, and Pacifica Graduate Institute. Leslie nurtures a deep dedication to embodiment, the creative process, creative living, and the ocean.
Joslyn Eaddy Meléndez
Joslyn is delighted to make her debut with Shakespeare & Company! A native and resident of Connecticut, she received her B.A. in Performing Arts with a concentration in Theatre at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Recent credits include Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew and Marcellus and a player in Hamlet (Capital Classics Theatre Company), Rosalind in As You Like It (Times Fool Company), Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (Capital Classics), and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park).
Mollie Murk
Mollie is an actor, director, and artist based in Louisville, Ky., and is elated to make their Shakespeare & Company debut. Recent acting credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville’s King John, The Wolves, Dracula, Dracula: the Radio Play, and Are You There? in the Humana Festival of New American Plays; Kentucky Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), Comedy of Errors (Adriana), Pride & Prejudice (Lizzy Bennet), The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolen Fairfax), Twelfth Night (Viola), and Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio); Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Taming of the Shrew (Biondello); and various productions at Derby Dinner Playhouse, Louisville Ballet, Hope Repertory Theatre, the Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and others. Directing credits include She Kills Monsters with Pandora Productions, and As You Like It with three witches shakespeare. Mollie is an alum of Hope College and Shakespeare & Company’s Center for Actor Training, and is a proud member of the Ring of Keys Network.
Kallie Pong
Kallie Pong is excited to debut with Shakespeare & Company and is honored to be a part of the touring troupe. A proud California native, Kallie holds a BFA in Theater Performance from Chapman University. Favorite credits include ALIEN/NATION (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chapman University). She extends a heartfelt thanks to her family and friends for their unwavering support. Coram Deo.
Malle Winters
Malle is so excited to be hitting the road with Macbeth this spring! She has worked with Shakespeare & Company on and off since 2019, including in the Education Department as a residency teacher and a director in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare. She splits her time between the Berkshires and her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., where she received a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Point Park University. Favorite acting credits include Mrs. Lintott, The History Boys, MJ’s Mom, Good Grief (Pittsburgh Playhouse); Host, I Love Christmas Movies! (RWS Entertainment Group), and Octavius Caesar, Antony y Cleopatra (Elsewhere Shakespeare). All the thanks and love to her family and friends.
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 50,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.
