M E E T: P R E S T O N C O L E M A N
What is your favorite part about Macbeth?
My favorite characters to play are the villain or the bad guy and Macbeth is that, so that has been so fun for me. The thing about Macbeth though is that he is a justifiable villain, everything he does makes sense to me. Also, I get to play someone who is royal. How often does that happen?
What is something new you've learned about the show or your character that you weren't aware of before?
I’ve learned a lot about the overall royal process, like how kings and thanes were decided. Also, the overall history of Scotland was something I knew about, but definitely not as in-depth.
Do you have a favorite line you say in the show?
I love my speech after Lady M dies when I am so far gone and I say “She should’ve died later”. I also really like my line in the scene after Duncan died. I say, “Twas a rough night”. I find that line so humorous.
What do you think leads Macbeth to commit other murders after the killing of Duncan?
I think he is very skeptical about the whole prophecy until he kills Duncan, which was easy. Then, the power got into his own hands and he was going to keep going until he ended up losing. He is afraid of failing and he wanted to keep his friends and allies.
Are there any ways you relate to Macbeth?
I'm Scottish, so that! I also am very competitive and will try my absolute hardest to get something if I want it. He's very similar to me in that sense.
What do you think Macbeth's greatest weaknesses and strengths are?
I think his greatest strengths are his power, his knowledge of his power, and his overall good leadership under good circumstances. His greatest weaknesses are that he doesn’t think before he acts and he is very manipulated, especially by Lady Macbeth.
What has this experience been like dealing with COVID restrictions?
It hasn’t been too bad, I honestly thought it was going to be worse than it has been. Sometimes wearing the masks is frustrating, but I’m so grateful that we are even able to do the production. Lady Macbeth and I are in the same circle, so it is so weird that we can’t touch in rehearsal and then we will hang out since we are best friends. Sometimes I wish we could.
What do you think it will be like filming this production?
I think it is going to be really interesting. I believe we are going from start to finish and doing two runs, one with blood and one without. It's going to be filmed in McCrary Theater, which is so exciting. I think it is going to be so exhilarating and honestly pretty quick!