This week the Niles West Theatre Department is showcasing their last play, “Macbeth,” this weekend before the end of the year musical. “Macbeth” is set to premiere February 21 at 10:00 a.m. Friday, with additional performances on Friday and Saturday at 4:00 p.m and 7:30 p.m.

The play follows a power-hungry general, Macbeth, who believes a prophecy that he is destined to be the King of Scotland. Driven by his wife’s overwhelming ambition, Macbeth embarks upon a series of murders which ultimately question the balance between fate and free will.

West plans to make this Shakespearean play entertaining and enjoyable for the audience.

“Mr. Sinclair has done a really nice job re-imagining the story in a way to captivate modern audiences, so it will be interesting to hear [the audience’s reaction] to our interpretation. I want someone to realize that Shakespeare doesn’t have to be boring,” sophomore Henry Gussis said.

Gussis also recalls his favorite part of the show being the preparation for stage combat, which is essential when doing an interpretation of “Macbeth.”

“We had an awesome fight choreographer, Polly, who was extremely talented and has made the battle sequences looking amazing. I really think audiences will like what we put together,” Gussis said.

The play is also set to have music as one of the main elements that will get the show moving and be heavily used during transitions.

“The show is really scary which is different because it’s hard to make live theatre scary. It’s also very intricate. Everything from the set to the lighting design to the sound design is so amazing,” senior Leah Nano said.

As this is many of the seniors’ last show, preparing for “Macbeth” has been both exciting and nostalgic.

“As this is my last senior show, or final rodeo, I’m most looking forward to giving back to the stage and the rest of the company at Niles West one more time. The memories and knowledge I’ve gained here were detrimental to where I am now,” senior Roland Teivans said.