Broadway star Rose McClendon asks 20-year-old Orson Welles to direct Shakespeare's Macbeth with all-Black cast in 1936.

Before Citizen Kane and The War of the Worlds, leading Broadway actress Rose McClendon and producer John Houseman convince a gifted but untested 20-year-old Orson Welles to direct Shakespeare's Macbeth with an all-Black cast in Harlem. Reimagined in a Haitian setting, this revolutionary 1936 production, which came to be known as 'Voodoo Macbeth,' would change the world forever, but the road to opening night proves to be a difficult one. Orson and Rose - who is to play Lady Macbeth - clash over everything from scene blocking to crew hires, while Houseman contends with a congressman hell-bent on shutting down what he deems 'communist propaganda.' Welles and McClendon must overcome political pressure, personal demons, and protests to realize their groundbreaking vision. Based on True Events.

Media

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Bonus Materials

• Audio Commentary
• Actual 1936 footage from National Archives of the play that toured the country to interracial audiences.

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       Inger Tudor as Rose McClendon
•       Jewell Wilson Bridges as Orson Welles
•       Ashli Haynes as Edna Thomas
•       June Schreiner as Virginia Welles
•       Daniel Kuhlman as John Houseman
•       Jeremy Tardy as Maurice

Director: Dagmawi Abebe

Director: Victor Alonso-Berbel

Director: Hannah Bang

Director: Christopher Beaton

Director: Agazi Desta

Director: Zoë Salnave

Director: Roy Arwas

Director: Tiffany K. Guillen

Director: Ernesto Sandoval

Director: Sabina Vajrača

Producer: John Watson

Producer: Jason Phillips

Producer: Miles Alva

Producer: Xiaoyuan Xiao

Producers: Miles Alva

Producers: John Watson

Producers: Xiaoyuan Xiao

Producers: Jason Phillips

Additional Details

Label: LIGHTYEAR ENTERTAINM

Genre: Drama

Language: English

Run Time: 108 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 01/17/23

UPC: 810069450612