Shakespeare Magazine 11

Insane Root
“We break down the witches’ language in order to
create our own, to bring back that uncanniness”
The power of Macbeth
underground setting.
Candlelight flickers from rust-coloured walls.
We shiver in the small semi-circle of light cast
by a solitary lantern. This is, quite literally, an
underground theatre experience.
Most of Bristol’s residents don’t even know
that the Redcliffe Caves exist. Tucked away on an
old quayside and closed to public access for most
of the year, their entrance is marked by a heavy,
forbidding gate. It seems an unlikely setting for one
of Shakespeare’s most expansive plays, but it’s here
that local theatre company Insane Root have staged
a sell-out production of Macbeth two years running
during the city’s annual Shakespeare Festival.
Producer Justin Palmer formed Insane Root in
2015 with director Hannah Drake specifically
to stage Macbeth in these caves. Its second year
has seen the project reaching maturity with its
unflinching exploration of Macbeth’s psyche.
Indeed, the location is perfect for exploring the
“black and deep desires” of man, especially as the
caves reputedly harbour dark secrets themselves.
Strange stories have circulated about Redcliffe
Caves ever since they were first excavated by
Bristol glass-makers centuries ago. As the city
grew wealthy on the slave trade, wares awaiting
export were stashed down below. There have been
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