"I am thrilled to open the season with The Tempest which has not appeared on the Main Stage in over ten years. A passionate, visceral, fierce, and magical play—The Tempest contains some of the worlds most glorious poetry," says Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte.
As one of Shakespeare's late romances, The Tempest, while not technically his last play, is considered the Bard's farewell masterpiece. The character of Prospero, the exiled Duke turned powerful magician, appears semi-autobiographical—Shakespeare's aging alter-ego who must also bid farewell to his "art."
The play opens in the midst of a raging storm, conjured by the magician Prospero to wreck a passing ship. The ship carries the conspirators who deposed Prospero twelve years earlier, forcing him from Milan with his infant daughter Miranda. Set adrift at sea, father and daughter came to live on the faraway island, on which the play takes place, inhabited by the elemental spirit Ariel and the feral Caliban. When the shipwrecked men come to shore, worlds collide as clowning drunkards meet the enslaved monster Caliban, handsome Prince Ferdinand encounters the lovely Miranda, and Prospero faces his past and his enemies.
Longtime company member Sherman Howard will play Prospero. "Sherman and I first explored the character together last winter when we worked on parts of The Tempest in collaboration with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Sibelius' The Tempest was intertwined with Shakespeare's text. Even in those brief scenes, it was evident what a force of nature Sherman's Prospero truly was and I was inspired to stage a full production with Howard brining Prospero to full life," Monte explains.
The Cast
As Prospero, leading man Sherman Howard returns for his seventh season at the Theatre, where he has appeared as Henry II in The Lion in Winter, Spooner in No Man's Land, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, Galileo Galilei in Life of Galileo, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing and as the title role in Enrico IV. Howard's Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include All My Sons, Inherit The Wind, and productions at the Public Theatre, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Howard's television credits include Homeland, Person of Interest, and Seinfeld.
Jon Barker portrays Shakespeare's famous "monster" Caliban. Barker appeared last season in the title role in Pericles and as Prince Mikhail in Tovarich. Previous Shakespeare Theatre credits include Henry IV, Part One, Othello, The Misanthrope, All's Well That Ends Well, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and The School For Wives among many others. He has also appeared at the Terrace Theater in the Kennedy Center, the Paramount Theatre, and Luna Stage.
As Prospero's innocent daughter Miranda, Lindsey Kyler returns for her second Shakespeare Theatre season after making her debut last season as Marina in Pericles. She recently performed at Arena Stage in the world premiere of Legacy of Light and, regionally, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Orlando Shakespeare Theatre.
Shakespeare Theatre veteran Erin Partin plays the delicate spirit Ariel. Most recently, she played Ophelia in The Resident Ensemble Player's production of Hamlet (Delaware). She has also appeared at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
As the King's son Ferdinand, Jackson Moran appears in his tenth season with the Theatre where he has performed in Comedy of Errors on the Outdoor Stage, The Grapes of Wrath, Noises Off, The Winter's Tale, Henry V, Richard III. Moran is an alumnus of the 2007 Next Stage Ensemble and 2008 Shakespeare LIVE! touring companies. He is a graduate of Yale School of Drama.
Shakespeare Theatre veteran Jeffrey M. Bender, in his fifteenth season with the Theatre, plays the drunken butler Stephano. Bender recently appeared on Broadway in A Time to Kill at the Golden Theater and in Cymbeline at Lincoln Center. He has also worked at Denver Center Theatre, Arena Stage, the Old Globe, and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Company member Richard Bourg portrays Gonzalo. Off-Broadway, Bourg wrote and performed Hallowed Ground, an Off-Broadway one-man piece about Abraham Lincoln, under the direction of the late Gene Frankel. He has appeared at The Pearl Theatre, Princeton Repertory Shakespeare Festival, The Florida Studio Theatre, and The Boarshead Theatre.
As Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan, V. Craig Heidenreich makes a Shakespeare Theatre debut. V. has directed or appeared in productions across the nation including Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Old Globe Theatre, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Other credits include Henry V, Betrayal, Don Juan in Hell, Lion in Winter, Hedda Gabler, Rough Crossing and Jon Jory's adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Tom Jones.
As Alonso, the King of Naples, Rob Krakovski returns for his fifth season with the Theatre; he previously appeared in A Most Dangerous Woman, Around the World in Eighty Days, Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar. Krakovski performed recently in Secret Order at San Jose Repertory and A Christmas Story at Geva Theatre Center. Off-Broadway, he originated the role of Bill Wilson in Bill W.
Patrick Toon portrays the fool Trinculo. Most recently, Toon appeared in The Shakespeare Theatre's production of The Playboy of the Western World. Other Shakespeare Theatre credits include Henry IV, Part One, Othello, Merry Wives of Windsor, and Amadeus.
Andy Baldeschwiler, Adam C. Burns, and James Costello round out the cast.
The Director
2014 marks production director Bonnie J. Monte's 24th season as Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Since 1990, she has directed more than 50 productions for the company, including most recently Tovarich, As You Like It, Trelawny of the Wells, Man of La Mancha, Measure for Measure, A Christmas Carol, The Misanthrope and Othello, No Man's Land, The Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet. Her many adaptations of classic works, including Enrico IV, The Cherry Orchard and Pride and Prejudice have earned her critical acclaim. Her adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters was recently published by Playscripts, Inc.
The Artistic Staff
Creating the world of The Tempest are set designers Brian Clinnin, costume designer Murell Horton, sound designer Karin Graybash, and lighting designer Tony Galaska. Kathy Snyder serves as production stage manager.
Tickets
Single tickets for The Tempest are now on sale and range from $15 to $75. Student Rush tickets are available a half-hour before curtain for $15 with a valid student ID. For tickets, call the Box Office at 973-408-5600, visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org or email [email protected].
Special Performances
Discount preview performances for The Tempest are Wednesday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 31 at 2 p.m. These Preview performances offer opportunities for reduced-priced tickets while enjoying the excitement of the very first performances in front of an audience. As always, the first Preview performance is Pay What You Can night. Visit The Shakespeare Theatre Box Office between noon and curtain on May 28 and purchase a ticket for that evening's 7:30 p.m. preview performance for what you are able to pay (offer subject to availability).
For no more than the cost of a regular ticket, three Symposium Series performances are offered for each show and include a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff. Symposium performances for The Tempest will be Tuesday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 7 and Saturday, June 14 at 2 p.m.
For each production, The Shakespeare Theatre presents the popular education program Know the Show. From 7:00 to 7:30 p.m., an artist from The Shakespeare Theatre will present a pre-performance talk that provides background information and an insider's perspective on the production. The Know the Show performance will be held on Thursday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. General admission is $5 for the general public, $4 for ticket package holders and subscribers. Tickets to that evening's 8:00 p.m. performance may be purchased separately.
The 2:00 p.m. performance on Saturday, June 14 will be audio described for those who are blind or have visual impairments. Audio description enables patrons with visual impairments to hear, through an FM transmitter, a live description of the action on the stage. A pre-performance sensory seminar is offered that allows patrons to feel props, costumes and set pieces to further enhance their live theatrical experience. The service is offered free of charge.
The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's largest professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.
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