A tragic battle is Fort La Tour's claim to fame. Now, it's to host another famous tragedy

The history of Fort La Tour is steeped in tragedy and bloodshed.

In 1631, Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour built a fortified trading post at Portland Point to exchange furs with the Wolastoqiyik. In 1645, his wife — Madame de La Tour, the "Lioness of Acadia" — famously waged a multi-day campaign to defend it against Charles de Menou d'Aulnay — a bloody battle that ended in surrender and the mass hanging of her men.

Historian W. F. Ganong wrote there was "no event in the history of Acadia … which so powerfully touches the chords of our human sympathies."

Starting Wednesday, the fort will host another famous tragedy.

Macbeth, directed by Sandra Bell, is a collaboration with the Saint John Theatre Company and Loyalist City Shakespeare.

It's the first large-scale public event Place Fort La Tour has hosted. Interestingly, the Scottish tragedy was likely written in 1606 — just a few decades before Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour arrived at Portland Point. 

"We're so thrilled about having an outdoor experience," said Heather Kamerman, Place Fort La Tour's general manager. 

Bell called it "the biggest outdoor project that Saint John has had in terms of theatre." 

As a theatre set, the fort is "like nothing you could build.It almost mimics Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where the audience, the groundlings would have stood," she said.

"It is fabulous. And of course you might get the Saint John fog rolling in for some atmosphere."

Over 5,000-plus years of recorded history, the site has served as an Indigenous burial ground, a French fort, and a nail factory. It was designated a national historic site in 1923. 

The notion of developing Fort La Tour as a historic attraction began over 50 years ago in 1972, when the Fort La Tour Development Authority was formed.

There have been countless studies over the decades. Big plans have been unveiled. Archaeological digs have been conducted. The construction phase made headlines. Heartbreakingly, in 2021 an unsolved act of arson nearly destroyed the fort just weeks before it was scheduled to open.

Last summer, the site opened for smaller-scale events, Kamerman said, as the team solidified partnerships and got "a little bit more ready to share stories and experiences with folks."