Cumbrian kid to tread the boards in Shakespeare's Macbeth

By Kelly Eve

The name alone can strike fear into an actor but the excitement of appearing in a professional production of the notorious Scottish play is mounting for nine-year-old Toby Collard.

Toby, who lives with his family near Caldbeck, is busy learning his lines for Macbeth after he was invited to play a key role in the Shakespeare 4 Kidz production being staged in Carlisle next Thursday.

It will be Toby’s biggest stage show to date since developing a love for theatre three years ago.

Watching him will be his proud parents Jennifer and Andy, and his year five and six classmates from Fell View School in Caldbeck.

They are among the hundreds of children from schools across north Cumbria who are due to flock to the Sands Centre to watch Thursday’s two performances.

Toby was nominated for the role of Macduff’s son by his theatre school principal Naomi Bewsher.

He is a member of her Stagecoach school and rehearses every Saturday at Richard Rose Central Academy’s performing arts centre in Lismore Place, Carlisle.

He is also a member of Caldbeck Players with productions of Wind in the Willows and Puss in Boots under his belt.

Toby’s mother Jennifer said: “We’ve taken him to the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick since he was a little boy and he’s developed his interest from that.

“He’s also a member of Stagecoach and goes every Saturday morning. He’s been in little bits and pieces since he started but nothing like this. He’s also doing some of his theatre and stage exams.

“He’s been sent a script and DVD of the production and Toby has to show up next week to have a rehearsal and be ready to do it.”

She added: “Macbeth is quite gruesome and dark as a play but this production has been adapted for children in the audience.

“Toby is very excited about it. His school had already bought tickets to go before Toby was even asked to do the role but now it’ll be great to think his friends will be there watching him too.”

Naomi Bewsher, principal of Stagecoach in Carlisle, said: “Students are exposed to a wide variety of text and script during their weekly drama lesson and this has given Toby the stage discipline, knowledge and confidence, making him a wonderful young actor.

“He was also very successful within his recent Lamda examination which we offer at Stagecoach and was awarded our ‘Most Promising’ trophy for his continued commitment to his dance, singing and acting classes.

“I’m very proud of Toby and wish him well for his forthcoming performance.”

Shakespeare 4 Kidz is currently touring the country with Macbeth and they say the tale of ‘weird witches and spooky spells’ make Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts ‘look like amateurs’.

The company states that the whole plot of the Bard’s original play is retained.

It tells the story of the murderous Scottish warrior Macbeth who is encouraged by three witches and his evil wife to remove every obstacle in his quest to become king.

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