“Let Your Indulgence Set Me Free,” Prospero cries. A call for help, a call of emotion, a call heard many thousand times over several hundred years, capping off each and every performance of The Tempest. A call you too can hear when the SCAD GradLab brings Shakespeare’s classic to SCAD Beach this weekend.
In its second annual Bard on the Beach, the GradLab tackles one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays in a new and innovative way. Director Francesca Mintowt-Czyz brings a fresh interpretation of a timeless story, using not just the unusual stage and setting but also an interactive and uncommon approach to storytelling. “Inspiration…always comes from people in the room and the space we can perform in,” Francesca remarked during my interview with her earlier this week. These two focuses become quite apparent in the production. While it may be obvious that the unusual stage brings something new to the production, setting The Tempest’s island on a complete sandy beach, it is the character and ensemble driven approach that makes the production really stand out.
Many lead roles are double or triple cast, being played simultaneously by two or even three actors on stage together. Much of the show features two Prosperos and two Mirandas, the leading characters, in a unique way: with one of each speaking and the other signing. Francesca called the ability of the actors to incorporate sign language into the show a ‘beautiful offer,’ bringing not only greater accessibility, but also an uncommon and movement driven approach to the show. Actress Madison Weikle, who portrays Ariel, remarked on how from the beginning of the audition process, her character incorporated a ‘movement piece,’ taking from music and dance to add to the movement and flow of the production.
Indeed, while Francesca remarked on SCAD Beach specifically as a ‘playground,’ the joyful approach seemed to bleed into the creativity and vigor of the entire show. From the very start, it was about experimentation and learning. Francesca called her cast ‘brave’ in their approach to the show, saying they’ve created ‘something special.’ In asking them to learn by doing and discovering, they could use the experience to come into their own as performers and creatives. “She most graciously invited us to build our characters on our own and make bold choices,” remarked Marian Vacaliuc, who plays Miranda. Emma Harris, twinly cast as Miranda, also commented on how she was able to express the ‘depth’ of the character while also bringing an ‘active and mobile’ presence to stage.
The exploration, innovation, and depth of the upcoming Bard on the Beach performances is sure to revive and freshen and tried and true classic. Rich with imagination and heart, The Tempest seeks not to just exist as a show but to lift its cast up and offer something to the audience. “Shakespeare gives his plays to the actors, and the actors bring it to life, and thank goodness for the written word so we can hold onto it, and 500 years later continue to explore this work,” Francesca said about the production. “So we the actors are now handing it off to the audience so they can continue to
create.”
The Tempest will be performed on SCAD Beach on April 21, 22, and 23 at 6:30 pm, with free attendance.
