What happens if you say macbeth in the theatre

If someone says the name of The Scottish Play in a theater I have, and WILL, make them go outside, turn around three times, spit, and knock to be let back in. This is a funny one. Well, we all know that you are supposed to run around the theater three times, and throw salt over your shoulder, or some such. I am a big one for knocking on wood when this happens though. When this has happened during Macbeth , we generally made an exception to the rule.

Exit the theatre, spin around three times, spit, curse and then knock on the theatre door to be allowed back in…. Studying Shakespeare? Discover loads of facts, videos and in-depth information about Shakespeare's plays. Really get to grips with the stories, settings and characters of Shakespeare's plays.

Unlock his language using the same techniques our actors use in rehearsals. Witchcraft to please the king James became King James I of England in , and his new subjects were keen to appease him and his views on the demonic.

Accidents, injuries and deaths - the curse of Macbeth According to folklore, Macbeth was cursed from the beginning.

It guaranteed a full-house. It was one of the most common plays to replace flops across the country. The human subconscious is a powerful thing. For some, the Curse of Macbeth is just a fun theater tradition. Elizabeth Lundin February 5, Stage and screen. Birds and the bees. Ewan Thomson This is because, in the days when every town had a theatre, if the tickets for a particular run were not selling well, the theatre owners would often end the run and replace it with the, always popular, Macbeth.

Actors usually preferred to do something new or different. Chris Lewis, Tyldesley, UK The story I heard was that if a new play bombed the theatre owners would replace it with a sure success.

Macbeth was the most popular replacement so if you heard someone rehershing Macbeth in the wings before your play opened you knew that confidence was low.

John Leith, Kirkwall, UK Theatrical folklore has it that, as revenge for Shakespeare's inclusion of a number of accurate spells within the play, a coven of witches cursed it for all eternity.