Exeter Shakespeare Society Takes on The Tempest

April 9, 2009

Caliban crouches in front of Prospero and Miranda in The Tempest

Shakespeare’s The Tempest goes up on Fisher Theater's Black Box stage this weekend. The 16-strong cast promise an innovative interpretation of this entirely student-produced play, which has been called both a comedy and a romance.

Ferdinand and MirandaThe director, Emma '09, selected The Tempest because "it's so beautifully written. I've been in it, so I had some familiarity with the show going in, which made the size of the project less intimidating. I like that there's room for a kind of ensemble – the spirits. Prospero is technically the lead, and he talks the most, but the rest of the roles in the play are also well-developed and have interesting moments and scenes. The power dynamic between Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano is very interesting as well as hilarious."

Here's a brief synopsis of the play:

Prospero, a sorcerer and the rightful Duke of Milan, lives with his 15-year-old daughter, Miranda, on an island. They landed there12 years earlier after Prospero's brother Antonio took over the Duke's title and banished the pair in a small boat.

The play starts when Prospero creates a tempest at sea to drive his brother's ship to the island. The ship runs aground and all passengers – including Antonio, Alonso (Antonio's co-conspirator against Prospero), Alonso's brother (Sebastian), son (Ferdinand), and advisor (Gonzalo) – escape to the island. Prospero casts spells to separate the visitors, and 3 subplots ensue.

Ferdinand, Prospero and Miranda (l to r)In one, Caliban (native of the island, who is a monster and has become Prospero's servant), joins forces with Stephano and Trinculo, both from the ship, to rebel against Prospero. In another, Prospero ignites a romantic relationship between his daughter and Ferdinand. He then forces Ferdinand to become his servant. In the remaining subplot, Antonio and Sebastian attempt to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become King. They are stopped by Ariel, a spirit.

The play ends with Prospero forgiving his enemies. He orders Ariel to create weather that will carry the ship back to Naples, with Prospero and Miranda on board. Miranda and Ferdinand are slated to be married. Prospero gives up his sorcerer's staff, destroys his book of magic, and asks the audience to set him free from the island with end-of-play applause.

Jill, who plays Miranda, first read the play in 4th grade, and "pictured Miranda as similar to me." Now that she's a senior, Jill sees things differently. "I like acting because it gives you a chance to live another life for a while, to be another person. You can have a personality that is completely different from your own," she explains.

Emma has focused her interpretation on the magic of theater. "We've set The Tempest in a theater during rehearsals – the island is like a black box space. This is convenient because it allows us to use minimal costumes and props, but also because it allows me and many of the actors to draw on specific details from my personal experience to color the world of the play." The production casts Prospero as "a director figure" and Ariel as "a stage manager who loves to perform." Emma adds: "The play's themes of magic, illusions and transformation are nicely reflected in the theater setting. It may be cliché, but theater has always been the most wonderful magic to me."

Antonia and SebastianFor Emma, directing The Tempest has been a lesson in inclusion. "The process of putting on a play is invariably more rewarding when you let the process be collaborative and don't try to personally control every moment onstage (as a director, actor or even audience member). Prospero learns something similar about letting go of power in order to relate to other people and forgive."

Working together on the interpretation has given the whole cast an appreciation for the play and its nuances. "The character arcs and dynamics, especially Prospero and Miranda, and Prospero and Ariel, are subtle and complicated.  When you read the play, it can seem like nothing is happening between those characters, but as we work on the text, we keep discovering more and more aspects to the relationships," explains Emma. "It's rewarding to work on, but very challenging to find the objectives and movements that allow the audience to understand what's going on with the character, to make sure all the choices are in-character, but still allow for the shading in the text. The magic elements are also complicated – how to balance humor with wonder, and quirky randomness with internal logic. At the same time, it's what makes the play so fascinating."

"The Tempest is a play about saying goodbye to a world," concludes Emma. "Because there are a lot of seniors in Exeter Shakespeare Society, that moment feels relevant."

Don't miss The Tempest this Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and Monday at 6:00.

Interested in learning more?

Check out Exeter's English Department offerings…

Learn about Exeter's Theater and Dance Department offerings...

Read about Exeter Shakespeare Society's performance of The Winter's Tale…

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