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Leon Quartermaine played Banquo and Ernest Thesiger the First Witch, or Weird Sister, with Dorothy Green and Annie Esmond. It opened at the Manchester Opera House on 16th January 1942 for a two-week run, part of a long tour that culminated in its opening at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 8th July 1942. The young designer Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) had been given leave from the Forces to work on the design for the production in collaboration with John Minton (1917-1957) who had worked and travelled with Ayrton in France in the late '30s.\n\nA review in <i>The Guardian</i>, 17th January 1942, noted that: 'Gielgud has been splendidly served by the settings of Mr. Michael Ayrton and Mr. John Minton and by the lighting of Mr. Stanley Earnshaw. The banquest scene, which made a gorgeous and unexpectedly spacious picture, and the darkened hall at Dunsinane where Macbeth \"'gins to be a-weary of the sun and where his lady walks in shadows which no sun would ever lighten\", should be long remembered.'\n\n\n\n\n\n","physicalDescription":"Set design illustration of the Banquet Hall in <i>Macbeth</i>","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Ayrton (Ayrton Gould), Michael","id":"A31259"},"association":{"text":"theatre designers","id":"AAT25681"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"painting (image-making)","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Shakespeare","id":"THES253244"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2012FE9553","2011ET5623"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"007","id":"THES356666"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"set design","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1941","earliest":"1941-01-01","latest":"1941-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"The production opened in January 1942. Michael Ayrton was given leave from the Forces to do the design so it was almost certainly designed in 1941"}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"CIRC.69-1954","id":"O1093415"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"CIRC.70-1954","id":"O1220248"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"CIRC.71-1954","id":"O1220249"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"CIRC.72-1954","id":"O1220250"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.45-1943","id":"O726919"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.46-1943","id":"O726918"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.47-1943","id":"O726917"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.49-1943","id":"O726915"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.50-1943","id":"O726914"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.51-1943","id":"O726913"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.52-1943","id":"O726912"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.53-1943","id":"O726911"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.54-1943","id":"O726910"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"E.55-1943","id":"O726909"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"33.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"measurement converted from department register"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"49.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"measurement converted from department register"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Set design by Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) for the Banquet Hall in Shakespeare's<i> Macbeth</i>, Manchester Opera House, 16th January 1942","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["CIRC.68-1954"],"accessionNumberNum":"68","accessionNumberPrefix":"CIRC","accessionYear":1954,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-08","recordCreationDate":"2011-05-12","availableToBook":true}}