By Grace ‘ Macbeth’ Hatchell
A rather ominous little parcel landed in my satchel this week, dear readers. The sort of delivery that makes the sorting office lights flicker and leaves you wondering if three mysterious women might appear in the corridor muttering about destiny.
Yes… it’s Macbeth.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth arrives at Derby Theatre from 1–18 April 2026 in a gripping new production exploring ambition, prophecy and power.
Shakespeare’s famously stormy tale of ambition, prophecy and things going very badly wrong indeed is arriving at Derby Theatre from 1 to 18 April 2026. And as far as theatrical tragedies go, this one is the full package: witches, kings, daggers, suspicious knocking at doors, and enough guilt to keep an entire kingdom awake at night.
For anyone who somehow escaped studying it at school (or slept through it while pretending to read the book), the story follows the Scottish warrior Macbeth, who bumps into three witches on a bleak heath. Now these ladies have a rather unfortunate habit of predicting the future, and they tell Macbeth he’s destined to become king.
Naturally, instead of taking this information calmly and perhaps putting the kettle on, Macbeth and his equally ambitious wife decide to hurry destiny along.
What follows is a rather messy climb to power involving murder, paranoia, ghosts at dinner parties, and the creeping feeling that perhaps listening to mysterious witches wasn’t the wisest life decision after all.
Derby Theatre’s new production promises a gripping take on the classic tragedy, bringing Shakespeare’s dark world of power and consequence to the stage in all its brooding glory. The show runs at around two and a half hours including an interval, which should give audiences plenty of time to enjoy the drama while quietly thanking their lucky stars that their own dinner guests rarely include haunted kings.
This particular production is a collaboration between Derby Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre and the Octagon Theatre Bolton, a partnership that has been bringing fresh interpretations of classic plays to audiences across the country.
And while Macbeth may be centuries old, its themes remain stubbornly modern. Ambition, temptation, moral compromise… the sort of things that make people lean forward in their seats and whisper “oh dear, that’s not going to end well.”
The production is recommended for ages 13 and above, which feels about right given the presence of violence, murder, supernatural happenings and the occasional burst of dramatic intensity. In other words, classic Macbeth behaviour.
Performances run from 1 to 18 April in Derby Theatre’s main house, with both evening performances and matinees across the run.
Now I’ll be honest with you.
Macbeth is one of those plays where you know exactly what’s coming and yet you still sit there hoping someone will make a slightly better decision this time around. Perhaps ignore the witches. Perhaps skip the regicide. Perhaps take up gardening instead.
But alas, Shakespeare rarely lets his characters choose the peaceful option.
Which is precisely why audiences keep returning to this dark and thrilling tale.
So if you fancy an evening of prophecies, power struggles and the sort of dramatic downfall that reminds you to stay on the good side of fate, Derby Theatre has you covered this April.
Just keep an eye out for witches on your way home.
Grace would like it noted that if three of them approach her outside the theatre predicting future promotions at the sorting office, she will be politely declining the conversation and heading straight for the nearest bus stop.
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