Editor’s note: This article has been corrected for spelling. The original version of this article misspelled Bossone as Bassone. City Times regrets the error. 

After performing solely to virtual audiences for the past year and a half, the San Diego City College drama department is eager to delight theater patrons with in-person performances of Macbeth and Twelfth Night at the Saville Theater.

To contemporize these Shakespeare classics, directors Kate Stone and Katie Rodda decided to set the stage for Macbeth in a post-apocalyptic San Diego and Twelfth Night in a modern, social media-driven La Jolla. 

Shakespeare can often intimidate audiences because of the intricate language, drama professor Kate Stone explained in an interview with City Times Media, adding that changing elements such as the setting can make these works relatable to a larger audience of people.

“I like to think that we can make Shakespeare accessible,” Stone said. “I like to think that Shakespeare is not something that should just belong to elite, wealthy audiences. I like to think that we can claim Shakespeare as our own.”

Macbeth, which Stone is directing, is considered one of Shakespeare’s most revered and popular plays. Premiering in October just prior to Halloween is appropriate.

“(Macbeth) is full of witches, ghosts haunting people and coming back from the dead,” Stone said.

City College student Vincent Bossone, who plays Macbeth’s closest confidant Banquo, is drawn to Shakespeare because it can be open to interpretation. 

“Part of the fun of Shakespeare is being able to bring your own personality to the character because he writes very open-ended,” Bossone said. “I have been described as someone who always looks on the positive side of things. I feel I have been able to bring that to the play.”

Bossone, who has a degree in business administration from Cal Poly SLO and currently works in the field, is pursuing acting as a personal passion. 

Macbeth will be his first performance, but Bossone is able to lean on some of his skills learned in business when it comes to live theater. 

“In the business world you are managing relationships, interacting with clients and customers and you want to put your best foot forward and I have been able to translate that into the theater,” Bossone said. “The camaraderie of the actors and the director, as well as the stage manager, is just managing relationships.”

Macbeth premieres on Oct. 21 and Twelfth Night premieres on Oct. 22. The shows will run from Thursday to Sunday on alternating days through Nov. 6. at the Saville Theatre.

To review showtimes and purchase tickets, click here.

Inside City is an interview show produced by CTTV, the television news parter of City Times Media. Multimedia journalists Jason Lim, Jillian Fortner, Ingrid Estrella, Roxy Vieira, Joseph Martinez and Joel Garcia contributed. For more episodes, visit youtube.com/sdcitytimes.