The Tempest by Lincoln Park High School Theatre - Show Details

What To Know About This Production

ABOUT THE SHOW

On a distant island a man waits. Robbed of his position, power and wealth, his enemies have left him in isolation. But this is no ordinary man, and this is no ordinary island. Prospero is a magician, able to control the very elements and bend nature to his will. When a sail appears on the horizon, he reaches out across the ocean to the ship that carries the men who wronged him. Creating a vast magical storm he wrecks the ship and washes his enemies up on the shore. When they wake they find themselves lost on a fantastical island where nothing is as it seems. (RSC 2016) The Tempest was believed to have been written in 1610 – 11 and is thought by many scholars to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote.

PLOT SUMMARY

A story of shipwreck and magic, The Tempest begins on a ship caught in a violent storm with Alonso, the king of Naples, on board. On a nearby island, the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, tells his daughter, Miranda, that he has caused the storm with his magical powers. Prospero had been banished twelve years earlier when Prospero’s brother, Antonio—also on the doomed ship—conspired with Alonso to become the duke instead. Prospero and Miranda are served by a spirit named Ariel and by Caliban, son of the island’s previous inhabitant, the witch Sycorax.

On the island, castaways from the wreck begin to appear. First is Alonso’s son Ferdinand, who immediately falls in love with Miranda. Prospero secretly approves of their love, but tests the pair by enslaving Ferdinand. After secretly watching Miranda and Ferdinand exchange vows, Prospero releases Ferdinand and consents to their marriage.

Other castaways who appear are Trinculo and Stephano, Alonso’s jester and butler, who join forces with Caliban to kill Prospero and take over the island. The nobles from the ship search for Ferdinand and are confronted with a spectacle including a Harpy, who convinces Alonso that Ferdinand’s death is retribution for Prospero’s exile.

Having all his enemies under his control, Prospero decides to forgive them. Alonso, joyously reunited with his son, restores Prospero to the dukedom of Milan and welcomes Miranda as Ferdinand’s wife. As all except Caliban and Ariel prepare to leave the island, Prospero, who has given up his magic, bids farewell to the island and the audience.

Performance Dates

Nov 22 Friday 7:00 PM
Nov 23 Saturday 7:00 PM

Auditions For The Tempest

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Cast List For The Tempest

Available Roles

Prospero - Principal Role. The rightful Duke of Milan, though his kingdom and title were usurped by his brother Antonio. Prospero was able to survive a plot on his life, and he and his daughter Miranda were set aboard a wrecked craft, but managed to land safely on the island. Prospero is able to gain control of the spirits of the island, and uses his vast knowledge and control over the spirits to direct acts of magic as he pleases. He is ruler of the island, after taking control of it from its rightful heir, Caliban, and he makes sure that Alonso's ship wrecks on the island, so he can get his revenge on his brothers for their wrongdoing.
Ariel - Principal Role. A spirit of the island, over whom Prospero becomes master after ousting Sycorax. He is the source of Prospero's magical powers, causing the tempest and many of the conspiracies in the play, and works for Prospero somewhat against his will. He is an intelligent, capable servant, and is finally freed by Prospero for his devoted service. If you are interested in this role a separate movement audition will be required
Caliban - Principal Role. A native of the island on which Prospero lands, and the one from whom Prospero steals control of the island. He becomes Prospero's only subject, doing all of his dirty work; Caliban tries to rape Miranda, and is shunned by both Miranda and Prospero because of this. All who encounter Caliban regard him as sub-human, or reprehensible, because of his different looks and strange ways. However, Caliban has a capacity for poetry and understanding beauty, as shown by a speech in Act III, which is one of the most poetic, beautiful, and descriptive of the play. Gonzalo is the only one within the play who even tries to evaluate Caliban and his kind fairly; the others, blinded by prejudice, mistreat him to various extents. If you are interested in this role a separate movement audition will be required
Miranda - Principal Role. Prospero's only daughter, and so young that she cannot remember anyone she knew before she came to the island. She is intelligent and headstrong, having learned a lot from her father; but, when under Ariel's enchantment, she follows her father's plan, and falls in love with Ferdinand willingly. She and Ferdinand end up together, bound by their mutual infatuation.
Ferdinand - Principal Role. Alonso's son, and heir to the kingdom of Naples. Prospero arranges, through his magic, for Ferdinand to fall in love with Prospero's daughter, Miranda; Prospero's plot to have Miranda and Ferdinand married is his key to reclaiming his power in Italy. For the brief span of the play, Ferdinand is completely lovelorn and presumed dead by his father 5 because they are separated during the shipwreck; out of his infatuation with Miranda, he agrees to become Prospero's servant for a while. Prospero finally declares him worthy, and the engagement is at last approved by both Prospero and Alonso.
Alonso - Supporting Role. King of Naples. Was involved in a plot to overthrow Prospero, and gave Prospero's dukedom to Antonio. Has a son, Ferdinand, who is also heir to the kingdom. Alonso may have been corrupt in his dealings with his brothers, but he does not prove to be an evil-natured man; he is a flawed politician, but is a highly regarded king and is not a villain.
Stephano - Supporting Role. Trinculo's friend, a consistently drunken butler. He is jolly, inebriated, and somehow Caliban takes him on as a new master, thinking that he has some magical powers. He agrees to Caliban's plot to make him ruler of the island, and gain him the favors of Miranda. However, like Trinculo, he is not cunning, and is completely incapable of carrying out the plan.
Trinculo - Supporting Role. A consistently drunken jester, who is a servant of Alonso's, and brought ashore in the shipwreck. He is a dull fool mostly, not capable of any real action, and providing a good deal of comic relief. When Caliban meets him, he immediately dislikes him and his inebriated insults; but, Trinculo does become a part of Caliban's plan to murder Prospero and take over the island, though Trinculo proves completely ineffective in this.
Gonzalo - Supporting Role. The councillor to the king, and an honest man as well; he is the one who helps Prospero and Miranda survive Antonio's plot to have them murdered. Gonzalo is optimistic, good-tempered, and loyal; he is one of the unquestionably good characters in the play, with no apparent dark side in him.
Sebastian - Supporting Role. Brother to Alonso, Sebastian is easily infected by a plot for the crown made by Antonio, and impressed upon him by the magic of the spirit Ariel. He is also not evil, but has a flawed nature.
Antonio - Supporting Role. Usurped the dukedom of Milan from his brother Prospero, while Prospero was absorbed in study. Antonio is probably the least scrupulous character in the play, and he is the originator of another plot to take the throne from Alonso through more murders, though this plot is engineered by Prospero, and made possible by Ariel's magical powers. He is typically sarcastic and remote, and unrepentant of his crimes.
Spirits of the Island - Supporting Role. This chorus of island spirits will appear throughout the play (including in a few moments of dance within the show). Actors cast as Spirits of the Island may also be assigned to understudy a principal role.

Cast List

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The Tempest by Lincoln Park High School Theatre in Lincoln Park, Michigan