'24' actress Reiko Aylesworth to star in New Salem's 'Macbeth'

Theatre in the Park will present a 90-minute adaptation of “Macbeth” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, at the outdoor theater at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site near Petersburg.

Known among actors as “the Scottish play” — superstition forbids uttering the proper name in a theater — William Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy tells a bloody story of ambition and murder around the Scottish throne.

Performers include Reiko Aylesworth, Rob Clare, Kevin Purcell* and Jonah Walker.

Aylesworth has acted off-Broadway and on TV, including a regular role on “24.” She lived in Springfield for a time in the 1980s, and was active in local theater. Clare’s credits include the Royal Shakespeare Company and Steppenwolf Theatre.

Purcell is a local actor and director who has studied Shakespeare with Patsy Rodenburg. Earlier this summer he directed Theatre in the Park’s production of “Romeo & Juliet,” in which Walker played Romeo.*

Tickets: $12 adults. $10 senior citizens, $7 children under 12 and $9 per person for groups of more than 10; call 632-5440.

Correction, Sept. 1, 2011: An actor was incorrectly identified in an earlier version of this story. Kevin Purcell's name and biographical information have been added. Return to the corrected sentences.