In the CalArts School of Theater production of The Tempest, which opened on Friday, Shakespeare’s classic is deconstructed and overturned, led by Deena Selenow’s (Theater MFA 13) direction.
According to the production notes: “With engaging humor, in this version of The Tempest, horror breeds humility as gender roles are questioned and the power of magic is tested.”
One of William Shakespeare’s later works (c. 1610), The Tempest is set on an island where Prospero, the true Duke of Milan, attempts to return himself and his daughter Miranda to the throne using magic and manipulation. Prospero’s conjured a storm that shipwrecks those responsible for his banishment on the island.
The new visitors are stripped of their identities—and the oppressors become the oppressed.
By incorporating humor into the Shakespearean romance, the production further explores the disintegration of social structure and liberation from human order.
The Tempest
Modular Theater at CalArts
Nov. 13, 14 and 16 at 8 pm
Nov. 15 at 8:30 pm
Tickets: $10, $2 for CalArts students and associates