For this year’s Maine Drama Festival, Gorham High School’s (GHS) Theater program is producing one of the greatest plays in the English language: William Shakespeare’s “Tragedy of Macbeth,” adapted as a short play by GHS English teacher and director Josie Tierney-Fife.

“Macbeth” is set in Scotland, in the midst of warfare and supernatural prophecies. The Scottish noble and war hero, Macbeth, played by junior Mason Hawkes, struggles with ambition and a lust for power that threatens to destroy the lives of everyone around him.

The play stands today as a dramatization of the rise of a dictator – a dark piece of the human story that seems to repeat itself across centuries and continents.

Powerful performances are offered by junior Emily Paruk, playing Lady Macbeth, and a talented cast of 17; including freshman Emelia Bailey and sophomores Kaylin Brown and Annikka Mocciola as the witches.

To prepare for the battle and murder scenes in the play, the cast trained with fight choreographers Michael Liebhauser, of Providence, R.I., and Jake Cote, of Portland.

Weapon construction for the show is by Gorham resident Chris Hourcle. Set direction is by Peter Tierney-Fife and costumes are by Diane Beliveau.

Tradition holds that Shakespeare’s portrayal of the supernatural in “Macbeth” brought a curse down on the theater world that stands to this day. Because of this, many theater artists refuse to say the name of the play inside a theater, unless talking about the character directly.