The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
directed by Conny Loder, produced by Ken Lawler
Join us for the premiere!
The Tempest: a digital project premieres
Thursday, 9 July 2020 at 7pm CEST
Our digital production of The Tempest will be available for streaming from the 9th to the 12th of July 2020 on our YouTube channel.
Quick Navigation
| Show | Donations | Trailer | Q&A | The Play |
Watch the Show
Donations Welcome
Streaming is free, but we welcome your donations (you can donate via Paypal).
Watch the Trailer
Q&A session
We will also be hosting a live Q&A session with our cast and crew on Zoom after our premiere (starting at 9pm on 9 July 2020). To register for this event, please email Ken Lawler.
The play
The Tempest – a storm, magic, vengeance and a wedding!
This play, one of Shakespeare’s later works (first recorded performance 1611 at the court of James I) begins with the turbulence of a storm and gradually resolves into harmony.
Or does it?
Nearly all of Shakespeare’s plays were written for outdoor performance. The Tempest, however, is one of the few that was specifically written to be staged at Blackfriars, Shakespeare’s indoor theatre. This allowed for several innovative changes such as the so-called fourth wall, artificial light (candles), a roofed-over auditorium and rather different acoustics.
What play then would be more fitting for us to move from our outdoor venue to an indoor, digital venue?
Join us this summer for a very different approach to Shakespeare!
Release date will be announced here in the coming weeks.
The story
Once upon a time in Milan, Duke Prospero was deposed by his ambitious sister, Antonia. Sending both Prospero and his daughter Miranda off to a remote island, Antonia claims Prospero’s place and installs herself as Duchess of Milan.
Several years later, Antonia is on board a ship returning from a royal wedding: Alonso, King of Naples, has married his daughter Claribel to the prince of Tunis. Also on board are several other nobles, including Alonso’s son, Ferdinand. Returning from Tunis to Italy, the ship is sunk in a terrible storm, coincidentally close to the island that Prospero inhabits.
Or was it a coincidence?
It soon becomes clear that Prospero, who is much devoted to magic, has ordered his spirit, Ariel, to whip up a storm, but to lead all passengers safely ashore. Ferdinand is separated from the others and soon falls in love with Miranda; Alonso, Antonia and the other nobles try to find their way around the island, continually being tricked by Ariel and Prospero’s other spirits.
Meanwhile Caliban, Prospero’s slave, teams up with two jolly drunkards that were on board the ship – Stephano and Trinculo – who plot to depose Prospero as ruler of the island.
Where will it all end?
The cast
The Islanders: John Yates (Prospero), Megan Nerlich (Miranda), Tracey Cooper (Ariel), Alexandra Krienke (Caliban), Helen Schulz (Iris/Spirit), Susan Kelly (Ceres/Spirit), Karla Viebahn (Juno/Spirit).
The Shipwrecked Royal Court: Ken Locicero (Alonso), Nick Moser (Ferdinand), Jennifer Mikulla (Gonzalo), Mattias Carlborg (Sebastian), Alison Rolle (Antonia), David Viita (Stephano), Nick Lloyd (Trinculo), Blair Gaulton (Francisco), David Hall (Adrian), Brianna Goins (Boatswain).