A Noise Within will open its 2014-2015 REVOLUTIONary season with Shakespeare’s The Tempest, directed by Timothy Douglas in his ANW debut. The show opens on Saturday, September 13 and runs through Saturday, November 22, 2014. This will be the third production of The Tempest for A Noise Within, which also mounted the play in 1993 and 2006; going against the grain in true revolutionary form, Prospero will be cast with a woman in the role, ANW favorite Deborah Strang.
Shakespeare’s final major work, The Tempest occupies an in-between world that straddles the fine line between the ethereal (magic, fairies, and hybrid humans) and the real (love, freedom, and the power of nature). It tells the tragicomic tale of Prospero, The Duke of Milan, and his daughter, Miranda, who are marooned on an island due to the machinations of Prospero’s brother, Antonio. When Antonio’s ship is run aground by a massive storm, he and his comrades must navigate an isle rife with spirits and temptation. It is a morality tale about the rulers and the ruled, and how those roles can shift over time.
“The playwright places the estranged relationship between a parent and child right at the center of the story. In this production we’ll be ‘making flesh’ the female-essenced aspect of authentic parenting through the performance of Deborah Strang,” says director Douglas. “After just two rehearsals, I can sense the tension and authority she brings to this role; these are qualities that I think will touch, even mesmerize, the audience.”
Written in 1610-11, The Tempest is said to be Shakespeare’s farewell to the theatre – driven home by Prospero’s famous final speech, in which he drowns his book of magic in the sea. The revolution here is at once political and personal; and the theme of the ruling classes vs. the ruled makes the play utterly topical.
In addition to Deborah Strang as Prospero, the cast will include Alison Elliott as Miranda, Kimberleigh Aarn as Ariel, and Esteban Andres Cruz as Caliban.
Timothy Douglas is currently an associate artist at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and served as associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for three seasons where he directed numerous productions including three Humana premieres, and as a Director in Residence (Mellon Foundation Fellow) at Center Theatre Group. Timothy has directed over 100 projects for ACT, Guthrie, Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep, Steppenwolf, Playmakers Rep, Woolly Mammoth, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Downstage (NZ), National Theatre (Norway), Milwaukee Rep (artistic associate), and many others. He is also a Linklater voice instructor and served on the faculties of ACT, USC and Emerson College. He has a MFA in acting from Yale.
This engagement of The Tempest includes a symposium on Sept. 10 at 7:30 pm (symposium starts at 6:00 pm, play at 7:30 pm) by Miranda Johnson-Haddad, who will discuss the play prior to that evening’s performance. There will also be post-performance conversations with the artists on Oct. 3 at 8:00 pm, Oct. 26 at 2:00 pm and Nov. 7 at 8:00 pm. A Pay What You Can performance takes place on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Can tickets go on sale at the box office window the day of the performance, starting at 2:00 pm, and are sold on a cash-only basis based on availability; limit of two tickets per person
THE TEMPEST
September 7 – November 22, 2104 (opening night 9/13)
A Noise Within
3352 East Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
Tickets: 626-356-3100 or www.anoisewithin.org
Shakespeare in LA 