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Sasa Nedic Rodney and Carol Nilles Eleanor E. Omoto Marilyn R. and James C. Paavola Pamela J. and Brent H. Parkinson Richard A. and Susan E. Pa erson Ma hew K. Payok and Jennifer M. Jackson Anthony D. Powell Raoul S. and Phoebe‐Beatriz B. Quiambao Jean M. Rooney Beth L. and Sco Rubin Ann Runyon Linda J. Savage and Todd A. Leigh James W. Sellman and David L. Balas Lori Shaffer and Christopher Goeke

Elizabeth H. Simmons and R Sekhar Chivukula Daniel T. Smith Pauline A. Sondag The Soup Spoon Cafe Bess M. Stamatakos Brenda J. Sternquist M. Teresa Tavormina The Purple Rose Theatre Co. Tipping Point Theatre Cele Friestater and Joseph Tuchinsky Dagny N. VanDuine and Lee VanDuine Ute von der Heyden and Paul Wright Williamston Theatre Mary Kay Wolfe William I. and Constance M. Wolfe Karl H. and Dianne C. Wolter

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Elizabeth A. and Donald B. Kaufman Chris ne A. and David R. Kaye Stephen F. Kiersey Robert E. and Amy G. Kilbridge Susan E. and William M. King Dale and Marla K. Lambert Jennifer S. Lane Lansing Art Gallery Robert L. Last and Jill M. Canny Marijean E. Levering Franklin Q. Levin and Barbara J. Blizzard Raymond E. Melton, Jr. Margaret A. Meyers Gordon E. Miracle Wolfgang J. and Odile B. Mi g Edward A. and Merry A. Morash Robert L. and Nancy K. Muhlbach Carol M. Myers‐Sco on Thomas E. and JoAnn Neff Kenneth W. and Lesley M. Neufeld Robert H. Newell and Elizabeth A. Baker Newell Juliana Olinka Cur s A. Osmun Edward A. and Tina S. Oxer Paramount Coffee Company Kris ne L. Parnell and Bruce W. Mor mer Ronald J. and Maria J. Pa erson Peppermint Creek Theatre Co Performance Network Edgar H. Quiles‐Ferrer Rae H. Ramsdell and George Orban Victor W. Rauch and Ellen I. DeRosia Alice O. Reuter Rosemarie A. and Roger L. Robertson Warren W. and Julie M. Rojewski David R. Rovner and Richard B. Scala and Gretchen A. Bria Dorothy W. Schmidt

William E. and Ingrid K. Schultz Lynde B. and Bradford Steensen Sylvia S. and Robert A. Stevens Emily C. Su on‐Smith and John L. Lepard Elizabeth C. Thomas Gladys M. Thomas Richard K. Thomas Dennis J. and April A. Tini Ewen C. Todd and Zora I. Carson Todd Dorothy R. Van Looy Catherine J. and Donald E. West Eric B. Weston and Juliet A. Levy‐Weston Kelly L. Wierenga Marilyn and Norman A. Wise

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  Prospero’s  Island might be a more apt tle for a play in which the actual tempest passes in the first 5 minutes. The island feels at mes like a character, one that captured my imagina on when we began working 11 months ago. For some in this play it’s a prison, and for others it’s a prize. 405 years ago, on November 1, 1611, when The Tempest had its first performance before the court of King James, news of exo c tropical islands inhabited by dangerous na ve people cap vated London’s imagina on. We have different hopes and fears today.

The nature and appearance of the island evolves with each produc on. Our enchanted isle began to take form when we began to imagine the twelve years that passed since Prospera landed there with her infant daughter. Like the forest in Midsummer, the island is a liminal space—a place of change. When the winds of fate blew her there, the struggle to survive and to raise her daughter in an unforgiving environment affected her profoundly. For years, she focused on survival and revenge. Yet somehow, over the next two hours, you’ll witness as she embraces forgiveness and seeks prosperity for others. The island, and its spirits, have a role in that change.

The iceberg you see before you serves several func ons. Harsh and beau ful, it’s hard to imagine long term life in this space. Michigan winters may be rough, but imagine spending year a er year in perpetual winter with li le hope to escape. Another func on relates to magic. Special effects on an Elizabethan stage were limited. Thunder might have been created by a drum, by shaking a thin metal sheet, or by rolling a cannon ball down a wooden trough. Our audiences are perhaps a bit harder to impress so our team of ar sts and programmers used digital projec on to bring magic to the stage. A frozen iceberg provides an ideal blank canvas to project computer anima ons and green screen actor performances.

Finally, as we fleshed out a unique magic system with specific rules, we realized that Prospera’s magic takes a toll on the island. Every spell comes with a cost. As we see the effect on the dwindling iceberg, it makes us think: What are we willing to sacrifice to achieve our goals? What are the costs when a person puts vengeance above forgiveness? What is le when we’ve used up the very ground beneath us?

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HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OUR “SCRIPT CLASS”? 

City of East Lansing @ Hannah Center Prime Time

The Friends of Theatre & Department of

Theatre are in our 3rd year of presen ng a Script Class for certain MSU Theatre shows.

Our current class of the year was associated with The Tempest on November 10 & December 1 from 3:00‐5:00pm. Cost includes a copy of the script and a show cket! $40 (Prime Time members), $45 (non‐members)

Watch the FOT newsle er for signup informa on for future classes including: Theatre2Film (Feb. ‘17) and Urinetown (April ‘17)!

PLEASE CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE FOR INFO: (517) 355‐6690

  The Tempest's  investment in magic and the spectacular, its mysterious island se ng, and its peculiari es as a "late romance" with neoclassical elements make it stand out amongst other Shakespearean plays. These elements also, however, make it difficult to perform; how do you perform magic for a modern audience? In the 16th and 17th centuries, forms of magic like witchcra , astrology, ghosts, and prophesy were all legi mately concerning, but now, belief in magic has declined. The theatrical and cinema c performance history shows that directors work to adjust the real and to present magic in different ways: moderniza on to science or technology, appropria on into another culture, a metaphor for a writer's crea on, or even blended with God or nature. This produc on embraces the challenge by u lizing digital projec ons and other technologies to recreate an early modern sense of wonder during the most spectacular moments—when we see Ariel dissolve into the air or Prospera draw a magical circle with her staff, we can embrace the fantasy.  Yes, Prospera. This produc on also switches the gender of Prospero, Antonio, and others, allowing us to view classic scenes through a different lens. This alternate lens helps us think about the rela onships between the characters in new, edifying ways. Of course, this produc on s ll uses these rela onships to engage with the heart of The Tempest: love, betrayal, revenge, and power. As we see Prospera use her powers to play with those on the island, and as we learn the reasons why Prospera and the shipwrecked both arrived, we learn that she is le with a cri cal decision: revenge or forgiveness? Ul mately, in The  Tempest, Shakespeare shows us that we too can dream, envision, fantasize, and realize that reality is really what we say and believe it to be. Or not to be.

Our theme of Rebellion  and  Revolu on has empowered our faculty, students and friends to connect with extraordinary guest ar sts and scholars from across the globe including the Royal Shakespeare Company, University of Patras (Greece), Stra ord Theatre Fes val, Nederlander Theatre, Traverse City Film Fes val, Broadway and Hollywood ar sts, Williamston Theatre collaborators and many, many more. Please check out our amazing guest

ar st page at www.theatre.msu.edu/guests. It is through grantsmanship, university and college support and most importantly through dona ons from our Friends that prepare our students for their upcoming journey from student to professional.

 

You can!  

You can make a gi online by visi ng: www.givingto.msu.edu/2207 Alloca on Code: AE100620