CHAPEL HILL – Though last week’s snow pushed back opening night by a day and made for a difficult tech week, the curtain went up Friday on East Chapel Hill High School’s production of “Macbeth.”

To make a Shakespearian play about kings and royalty intelligible to a young American audience, guest director Tom Marriott says he reimagined it as a story about fathers and sons. Marriott says he hadn’t set foot in a high school in decades—but he was impressed by the students in his cast and crew.

“I have no kids of my own, so I was like, ‘what am I going to do with kids?'” he says. “(But) I went in there–and they are so incredibly wonderful. I absolutely love them–these kids are so focused and so centered and so disciplined. I am absolutely amazed.”

“Macbeth” continues at East Chapel Hill High for one more weekend; shows are 7:30 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Advance tickets are available for $10/person at EastReservations.org; for the Friday and Saturday shows, you can also purchase a preshow catered dinner along with the play for $20.