NEWCASTLE

Long before the audience — even the actors — arrived for Heartwood Regional Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” there was toil and trouble bubbling behind the scenes.

“I first read ‘Macbeth’ in high school, and I fell straight in love,” Director Griff Braley said. “I’ve taught it many times to high school students, and I’ve always wanted to direct it. The timing is right for Heartwood.”

But it’s not what you’re thinking…

Set in the 21st century, with much less exposition and much more technology, it feels like a movie thriller. “Think Jason Bourne,” Braley said. “There are many ways to interpret this classic that stands the test of time, and I think The Bard, himself, would be pleased with our exploration of his masterpiece.”

Enter the tech crew, whose role is to imagine, budget, create and integrate the technical elements which support the production concept.

Tech Director Letitia Munson painstakingly fashions step 1: a 1- inch scale model of the Poe Theater. Using this model, Braley and Munson design the set, light plot, projections sequence and blocking.

“The model is incredibly helpful as we explain our design concept to the cast and crew and plan the set construction,” Munson said.

Building the 16-foot set is primarily Munson’s job, which includes shopping locally whenever possible, staying on budget, and scheduling the process to completion before the cast arrives.

Multi-projections play upon the set, as Chris Martin runs five projectors, simultaneously, from a tech booth computer with the help of “Isadora.”

“Isadora is a unique multimedia program used to create interactive visual projections and manipulate digital video in real time,” explained Martin, who first mastered Isadora on a large Mac computer purchased with a Heartwood grant from the Maine Arts Commission in 2011.

Videographer Cole Christine shoots and edits the most sophisticated of the green screen film clips and images projected on the set and, sometimes, into thin air.

“At times, live video footage appears simultaneously with onstage action, and these moments play a key role in conveying the narrative,” said Christine.

Light and shadows are essential elements as we weave in and out of Macbeth’s imagination.

On the ladder to the light bars is John Braley, who said, “I really enjoy the challenge of hanging and perfecting a complicated light plot and then seeing the final product on opening night.”

Finishing set touches emerge at the hands of painters Mary Boothby and Alex Braley, who deliver their strokes of artistry in the atmosphere they prefer: solitude.

Costuming “Macbeth” with contemporary pieces is something a bit new for Sue Ghoreyeb. “My task is to stay true to the director’s production concept. We’ve replaced tights with cargo pants, fencing equipment with tactical gear, and swords with guns. This is much more fun than traditional Shakespeare,” she said.

And yes. There will be smoke.

Still, it’s a tale of misplaced ambition and consuming desire for power, in which we recognize the psychological effects and moral decline resulting from the first willful choice of evil — a choice that costs Macbeth everything of value and meaning in his life and, in the end, life, itself.

There’s just nothing outdated about one of Shakespear’s greatest tragedies. It smacks of people and politics 2013. That’s why Braley chose to set it squarely in today’s world.

It’s like guys’ night out with all the action, tension, and men on stage. The fight scenes, directed by fight coordinator Mark Bedell, will have the audience wincing and flinching, as chases unfold, blows erupt and gunshots explode in the intimate setting of the Parker Poe Theater.

The cast is led by a young Macbeth, Chris Davis, whose command of the language and infinite focus and energy are pure joy to experience, and Elise Voigt as Lady Macbeth, who adeptly carries us through the rapid descent from arrogance to madness to death.

“‘Macbeth’ has been a true collaboration — my favorite kind of work,” Braley said, “where the scenes belong to the tech crew, the fight choreographer and the actors — as much as to the director. Several of these actors have not only played in ‘Macbeth’ before, but, like myself, actually entered the world of theater as a result of their first encounter with this piece. This process has been both challenging and rewarding, and Heartwood is ready to bring a bit of Shakespeare to the Mid-coast.”

And yes — there will be smoke.

“Macbeth” runs April 26, 27 and May 3, 4, 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. with one 3 p.m. matinee, Sunday, May 5, in the Parker Poe Theater.

Tickets are $10/students, $20/adults (advance), $22 (at the door). Reservations can be made by calling 563-1373 or emailing boxoffice@heartwoodtheater.org.

For more information and directions, visit www.heartwoodtheater.org.