The Conspirators present Chicago Cop Macbeth by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Wm. Bullion, at the Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., May 16 - June 8. The production includes one preview performance on Thursday, May 15 at 8 p.m. with the press opening Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays - Sundays at 8 p.m. The running time is approximately 135 minutes. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at ConspireWithUs.org.
Superintendent Macbeth's paranoia and tyranny lead to civil war, where Macduff, a precinct commander, ultimately defeats Macbeth, restoring the rightful heir, Deputy Chief Malcolm, to the throne. Just like life in 2025, The Conspirators describe Chicago Cop Macbeth as exploring themes of ambition, fate and da destructive nature of unchecked power, all in Chicago accents. Chicago Cop Macbeth is indeed Shakespeare’s classic text, adapted to be in a parallel world of da Chicago cops—a king is now a superintendent, a thane is a commander, Fleance is a cop cadet, etc. “The concept just came to us during a workshop a few years ago,” says adapter/director Wm. Bullion. “Every character is a ‘Chicago Cop’ and somehow it just works!”“The concept just came to us during a workshop a few years ago,” says adapter/director Wm. Bullion. “Every character is a ‘Chicago Cop’ and somehow it just works!”
Chicago Cop Macbeth CAST
Cast includes Travis Barnhart (he/him, Macbeth); Clara Byczkowski (bye-COW-ski, she/they, Lady Macbeth); Eva Andrews (she/her, First Witch/First Murderer); Zach Foley (he/him, Duncan/Siward); Jensen Hill (he/him, Ross); Allison Horvatin (she/her, U/S Lady Macbeth); Demitri Magas (he/him, Malcolm); Lili Moldovanska (she/her, onstage U/S); Talia Neidorf (they/them, Fleance/Young Siward); Dakota Norman (he/him, U/S MacDuff); Kelly Opalko (she/her, Lennox/Gentlewoman); Jacob Reno (he/him, Second Witch, Second Murderer); Emily Ruth (they/she, Third Witch/Third Murderer/Porter); Collan Simmons (he/him, Banquo/U/S Macbeth); AL SMART! (they/them, Son of MacDuff/onstage U/S); Lily Starbuck Turner (she/her, onstage U/S); Corin Wiggins (they/he/she, MacDuff) and Ariel Zoromski (they/she, Lady MacDuff).
Chicago Cop Macbeth PRODUCTION TEAM
The production team for Chicago Cop Macbeth is led by Conspirators Producing Director Sid Feldman (he/him, producer/style coach) and includes Wm. Bullion (he/him, director/executive artistic director); Corin Wiggins (they/he/she, production manager); Matt Bonaccorso (he/him, stage manager); Mike McShane (he/him, scenographer [set and lighting design]); Sebby Woldt (they/them, sound design); Kit Medic (they/them, costume designer); Dugan Kenaz-Mara (he/him, props design) Libby Beyreis (she/her; violence design), Kieran O’Connor (he/him, technical director), Aili Huber (she/her, dramaturg), Pat Jagowski (he/her, dialect coach) and Elena Avila (she/they, assistant director).
ABOUT WM. BULLION (Director, Executive Artistic Director)
Wm. Bullion is a veteran tragicomedian, director and actor on the fringe of the Chicago theater fringe and beyond. Bullion is an emeritus member of The Factory Theater, for whom he directed Prophet$ and Born Ready. He started Sliced Bread Productions in 1988 and put up some fine work before it folded in 2008. He co-founded The Conspirators in 2016 and has proudly directed their oeuvre, including Viva la Mort; Commedia Divina: It’s Worse Than That; The Ineptidemic; Accidental Death of a Black Motorist; The Deckchairs, or Make the Titanic Great Again and The Resistible Rise of Herr Helmut Drumpf—but he was a fool to think starting another theater group in Chicago is a viable, sustainable idea. Yet, here we are.
ABOUT SID FELDMAN (Producer/Style Coach, Producing Director)
Sid Feldman co-founded The Conspirators and has written plays, adaptations, screenplays, reviews and essays. He has produced plays, concerts and events for numerous organizations including New Crime and Sliced Bread Productions (also with Wm. Bullion).
ABOUT THE CONSPIRATORS
The Conspirators are a (newfangled) theater and performance collective in Chicago dedicated to provoking thought and action through dynamic, immediate theater art. The Conspirators work exclusively in a style of neo-Commedia called “The Style”—a highly theatrical performance mode developed by movie stars Tim Robbins and John Cusack from the techniques of Ariane Mnouchkine, Commedia dell’Arte, Bugs Bunny cartoons and punk rock, as historically performed by New Crime Prod. (R.I.P.) and The Actors’ Gang. The company also offers free Style workshops to interested performers of all calibers.
The Conspirators present Chicago Cop Macbeth by William Shakespeare adapted and directed by Wm. Bullion, at the Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., May 16 - June 8. The production includes one preview performance on Thursday, May 15 at 8 p.m. with the press opening Friday, May 16 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays - Sundays at 8 p.m. The running time is approximately 135 minutes. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at conspirewithus.org. For more show info, go to www.ConspireWithUs.org and follow The Conspirators on Facebook and Instagram.
CHEAP! Preview ticket link: https://events.humanitix.com/preview-performance-chicago-cop-macbeth-presented-by-the-conspirators
Regular run ticket link:
https://events.humanitix.com/the-conspirators-present-comedia-divina-it-s-worse-than-that-retooled