Category: Before the Show

The Tempest – a fitting show for this whirling dervish of a cast! Although this is the official stage debut for some of our performers, they have proven themselves worthy of one of The Bard’s most enduring and meaningful plays. 

Using the key word: IMAGINATION – this charismatic crew cooperated and collaborated to conjure the concept for our creative carnival. They’ve chosen to tell the tale from their own perspective, as children playing pretend on a playground coming together to act out a forbidden fable. 

Thank you so much for supporting our ensemble in this epic adventure. Now sit back, relax, and let yourself become a kid again as you enjoy William Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST.

But before you turn your phone off, we encourage you to click here to read a synopsis of the story.

Dramatis Personae

(In order of appearance)

Alonso … Ondine Taylor, 13 

Boatswain … Anchor Dillard, 7 

Gonzalo … David E. Landaverde-Chávez 13

Ferdinand … Cassia Dillard, 9 

Sebastian … Cooper Vidal, 10 

Antonia … Lauren Villegas, 9

Miranda … Maribelle Martin, 10

Prospero … Cyril (Vi) Rodriguez, 13

Ariel … Zoë Zerkel, 14

Trinculo … LydiaJane Dillard, 11

Stephano … Elsie Cannon, 14

Caliban … Anchor Dillard, 7

Iris … LydiaJane Dillard

Ceres … Ondine Taylor

Juno … Elsie Cannon

The Tempest Production Team

J. Bailey Burcham, director
Alessandra Mañon, director
Ace Rosenthal, artistic associate

Shakespeare Youth Festival

Julia Walker Wyson, Artistic Director
J. Bailey Burcham, Executive Director

The Tempest opens with a storm … a “tempest,” you might say! The King of Naples and several of his attendants are on a boat, and that things are going so badly there’s not much to do but pray. Cut to dry land and to Prospero, chatting with her daughter Miranda. Prospero was the source of the magic that caused the storm that sank this boat, but she had good reason, and nobody was hurt in spite of all the mayhem.

She tells Miranda that she used to be Duke of Milan until her sister, Antonio, betrayed her and deposed her (with the consent of King Alonso) while Prospero was busy learning magic in her library. After all the usurping, Prospero and three-year-old Miranda were shuttled out to the ocean in a wreck of a boat. They ended up on this island, where they’ve lived for twelve years. Prospero thinks the time is right for action and revenge.

Prospero has two servants: Ariel, a delicate and airy spirit who was imprisoned in a tree by Sycorax, a witch, for not being nasty enough, and Caliban, son of Sycorax (Backstory: When Prospero landed on the island, she got rid of Sycorax, freed Ariel from the tree, and made Caliban her servant.)

After the shipwreck, Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, and Gonzalo, an honest Lord who aided Prospero and Miranda, are scattered about the island. Alonso fears he lost his son, Prince Ferdinand, in the storm. Gonzalo is doing his best to cheer up the King, but to no avail, so the shipwrecked group set off to find him. Antonio and Sebastian, thinking Prince Ferdinand is dead, are plotting to murder Alonso so Sebastian can be king.

Meanwhile, the not-so-lost Prince is alive and convinced that his dad is dead. He’s distracted from his grief when he meets Miranda, and instantly falls in love. This is exactly what Prospero wants, but he uses a little reverse psychology on the couple, and accuses Ferdinand of being a traitor, putting him to the task of carrying wood. Ferdinand is happy to do this because his newfound love for Miranda makes work seem easy. Supposedly behind Prospero’s back, the couple declare their love, and promise to marry.

Back with the royal search party, everyone is exhausted and giving up hope, when a magical banquet appears. Amazed, at first, the hungry crew decides to eat, when Ariel, disguised as a harpy, appears, and says that the sea took Prince Ferdinand in exchange for the wrong Alonso committed against Prospero many years ago, and points out that there are other traitors – Antonio and Sebastian. Alonso repents. Antonio and Sebastian do not.

Meanwhile, Caliban encounters the King’s drunken butler, Stefano, and jester, Trinculo (also drunk), and they plot to murder Prospero so they can rule the island. Caliban (very drunk) pledges to be Stefano’s slave and swears allegiance, kissing Stephano’s feet. The drunken schemers are led off by Ariel playing music and set off to murder Prospero. They make their way to Prospero’s cave where they find all sorts of fine, rich clothing, and get totally distracted from their evil plot. Prospero sets hounds upon them, and the would-be-murderers run off.

At last, Prospero brings all these groups together, and joyfully reunites with Gonzalo, her true friend. Alonso apologizes to Prospero and returns her dukedom. Alonso and Ferdinand are reunited, and he is delighted to meet Miranda, his son’s new fiance. Prospero announced that she plans to retire to her dukedom in peace, and she sets Ariel free. She relinquishes his magic, and asks the audience to set her free.

Shakespeare’s Richard II is a monumental piece of theatre. Often considered one of the most eloquently written of his Histories, the play represents a momentous struggle in English history, the struggle between King Richard II and his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). A story of security and insecurity – of friendship, gained and lost. Who better to tell this story than this highly passionate group of teenagers? We are profoundly proud to be presenting our first ever production of THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD II – A difficult and beautiful poem that reflects us all. 

Our Players are taking on the challenge of telling this story. What can you do to support them? While you are in the performance space, please keep your phone off and give them your full attention.

But before you turn your phone off, we encourage you to click here to read a synopsis of the story

Dramatis Personae

HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET

KING RICHARD II … Cyrus Rose

QUEEN OF ENGLAND, his wife … Zoe O’Brien

DUKE OF AUMERLE, his confidante … Ace Rosenthal

DUKE OF YORK, his uncle … Addison Templeton

DUCHESS OF YORK, his aunt … Dylan Macer

SUPPORTERS OF RICHARD II

SIR JOHN BUSHY … Pierra Rozen-Nowac

SIR WILLIAM BAGOT … Talula Worth

SIR HENRY GREEN … Ace Rosenthal

DUKE OF SURREY … Zoe O’Brien

BISHOP OF CARLISLE … Hirshl Isaiah Hickman

EARL OF SALISBURY … Dylan Macer

LORD THOMAS DE BERKELEY … Hirshl Isaiah Hickman

SIR STEPHEN SCROOP … Talula Worth

HOUSE OF LANCASTER AND SUPPORTERS

HENRY BOLINGBROKE, DUKE OF
HEREFORD, later KING HENRY IV … Apollo Manfredi 

JOHN OF GAUNT … Hirshl Isaiah Hickman

DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER … Addison Templeton

EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND … Raphael Potruch

HENRY “HOTSPUR” PERCY … Zoe O’Brien

LORD WILLIAM ROSS … Dylan Macer

LORD WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY … Pierra Rozen-Nowac

OTHER CHARACTERS

THOMAS MOWBRAY, Duke of Norfolk … Dylan Macer

TWO HERALDS … Addison Templeton & Raphael Potruch

SERVANT TO YORK … Charlie Shagoury

QUEEN’S LADY IN WAITING … Talula Worth

TWO GARDENERS … Ace Rosenthal & Raphael Potruch

KEEPER OF POMFRET CASTLE … Pierra Rozen-Nowac

GROOM OF THE STABLE … Talula Worth

Richard II Production Team

Julia Walker Wyson, director
J. Bailey Burcham, director
Alessandra Mañon, director

Milo Koyfman, Script Editor
J. Bailey Burcham, Technical Assistance

Special Thanks to 

Our seniors, Addison Templeton and Raphael Potruch! Addie, we thank you for sharing your gifts with us over the years, and Raph, we are delighted that you joined our troupe this year! We wish you both the very best in your next act!

Shakespeare Youth Festival

Julia Walker Wyson, Artistic Director
J. Bailey Burcham, Executive Director

We begin in King Richard’s court, as Henry Bolingbroke, son of Gaunt (the Duke of Lancaster), accuses Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk of being involved in the recent death of the King’s uncle (who is also Henry’s uncle; Henry and the King are cousins). They demand to work out their differences in one-on-one combat at Coventry, and Richard gives in.

As the tournament begins, the uncertain and impulsive Richard stops the contest, choosing instead to exile both Henry and Mowbray. He banishes Mowbray for life, but when John of Gaunt, Henry’s father, begs, he limits Henry’s exile to six years (which doesn’t do Gaunt much good, as he figures he doesn’t have six years left. 

Unfortunately, Richard allows his friends, including his bestie, Lord Aumerle (son of the Duke of York), to influence him in his governing, and let’s just say that they don’t do much to curb his worst impulses. When they receive word that John of Gaunt is dying, they race to his deathbed, where Gaunt tells Richard exactly what he thinks of him, then dies. Immediately, Richard takes possession of Gaunt’s land and money. It turns out that he has also been leasing out royal land to fund wars with Ireland. The Duke of York is not happy. He desperately wants to be loyal to the king, but Richard is making it very difficult!

Meanwhile, Richard’s Queen is experiencing some high anxiety, despite the best attempts of the King’s friends, Busy and Bagot, to cheer her up. She receives word that Bolingbroke is returning to claim his rightful inheritance. 

That’s right! When Henry hears that his father has died and that Richard took his inheritance, he returns from exile with an invading army. The commoners and nobles are already critical of Richard, so they welcome Henry in the north, led by the powerful Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy. Henry marches through England, gathering his willing forces. 

Richard arrives back after his Irish war to find that not only have his Welsh allies dispersed, but his cousin, Duke of York, unable to prevent Henry’s triumphant return, has joined him instead. Several more of Richard’s friends have also betrayed the King’s cause. Others have been executed on Henry’s orders. Things are looking pretty hopeless, and after taking refuge at Flint castle, Richard surrenders and agrees to go to London, where the lords will decide what should happen next. 

In view of the insurrections against him, King Richard is persuaded to step down in favour of Henry Bolingbroke, now King Henry IV. Richard hands over his crown in a ceremony. Henry imprisons Richard in Pontefract Castle, and Richard’s queen is sent home to France. 

There are a few plots against Henry, including one that Aumerle is a part of, and when York discovers this, they both race to Henry, along with the Duchess of York, who begs for her son’s life. Henry spares Aumerle, but he is now aware of his tenuous position as king, and implies that he would like to be rid of his threats. Aumerle, to regain his trust, goes against his feelings, and murders Richard. He brings the body to London. Henry claims innocence, blaming Aumerle for misunderstanding his intentions. The play ends as King Henry banishes Aumerle, orders a funeral for Richard, and swears to make reparation for his cousin’s death by going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

This handy graphic can be very helpful in navigating all the personalities!!

As the play opens, enthusiastic citizens are celebrating the return of the heroic Julius Caesar, a general who is returning to Rome after being victorious in multiple foreign wars. A Soothsayer emerges from the crowd to warn Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.” At the celebration, the citizens, through Caesar’s dear friend Mark Antony, offer Caesar the crown, but he refuses … three times.

Cassius, a fellow general, is envious of the popularity Caesar seems to enjoy, and by the idea that he might gain absolute power. His friend Brutus is a supporter of the Republic who believes strongly in a government guided by the votes of senators. While he, too, is a friend of Caesar’s, his fear of one person gaining too much power makes him vulnerable to Cassius’s maneuverings to convince him to join in the plot to bring down Caesar before he can gain too much power.

That night, a tormented Brutus debates with himself whether to join the conspiracy. His fear that Rome may lose its freedom wins out over his admiration for Caesar, and, after a late-night visit by a group of conspirators, including Cassius, he agrees own in the plot to assassinate Caesar the next day. He’s been so caught up in his plight that his loyal wife Portia confronts him and demands to know what has been preoccupying him.

The next morning is March 15, the Ides of March, and Calphurnia, Caesar’s wife, recounts her frightful dreams and insists that her husband to avoid danger and stay home from the senate that day. At first, Caesar fears that he will appear frightened or ignoble by staying home, and just as it seems that he will give in, the conspirators, acting as friends and supporters, show up, and convince him to come to the Capitol.

In the capitol, the conspirators surround Caesar on the pretext of discussing business with him—and each, in turn, stabs him. Seeing Brutus’s thrust, Caesar exclaims “et tu, Brute” (you too, Brutus) and dies. Mark Antony, Caesar’s friend, confronts the conspirators; and they seem to convince him that their actions were right, and they agree that Antony may speak at the funeral, as long as he does not condemn the conspirators.

A crowd gathers to mourn their beloved Caesar, but Brutus speaks first at the funeral and says that love of Rome alone made the murder necessary. The crowd seems to be swayed to his opinion, but then Antony follows, praising Caesar, while calling Brutus and the conspirators “honorable men.” He masterfully manipulates the crowd, without placing any blame on the conspirators, and moments after the crowd cheered Brutus as their deliverer, they turn on a dime, and are inflamed with rage and the desire for revenge on Caesar’s murderers. Indeed things become so chaotic that a poet named Cinna, who had nothing to do with Caesar’s death, is killed by the mob just because his name is the same as one of the conspirators.

In Rome, Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus, the ruling triumvirate formed after Caesar’s death, gather to plot revenge and organize a military force to fight the armies of Brutus and Cassius. The opposing armies gather on the battlefield of Phillipi.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Cassius and Brutus has deteriorated, and they quarrel. After the argument is settled, Brutus reveals to Cassius that his wife, Portia, has committed suicide. Later that night, unable to sleep, Brutus is stunned to see Caesar’s ghost, who warns that he will meet him again at the battlefield of Philippi.

That morning the armies meet and as the forces of the triumvirate appear to be winning, Cassius, unwilling to endure defeat, asks his bondsman Pindarus to stab him. After several other key players on his side, Brutus is devastated by the dishonor he feels, and he, too, asks one of his soldiers to stab him. Antony vows to give Brutus the funeral of a noble Roman and calls him “the noblest Roman of them all,” since he was the only conspirator whose motive was not envy of the powerful Caesar.