Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department Alums Bring Stage Combat to Lyric Opera’s ‘Macbeth’ Sept. 17-Oct. 9

Alumni of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department are featured in the fight team for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s eagerly awaited brand-new production of Macbeth, Giuseppe Verdi’s thrilling operatic adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy.

The fight team for Lyric Opera’s 2021 production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” includes alumni Kai Young (kneeling, lower left), Zac Richey (center, in blue uniform) and Jon Beal (behind Richey at right with dagger upraised).

The production runs September 17 through October 9. For tickets and more information, click here.

Kai Young

Kai Young

Jon Beal

Jon Beal

Zac Richey

The stage combat ensemble assembled for this brand-new production at one of the world’s great opera houses includes Columbia College alumni Kai Young ’12 and Jon Beal ’11, both graduates of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Acting, and Zac Richey ’21, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Stage Combat.

Adapting one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, Verdi created a stunning portrait of the most power-hungry couple who ever trod a stage. Macbeth’s bloody ascent to the throne of Scotland — led and supported by his wife’s own consuming ambition — results in disaster for them both. Verdi brings them to blazing life in a score that bristles with energy and endless excitement — and thrilling battle scenes are an essential element.