Shaker Theatre Arts will perform its production of “The Tempest” tonight and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. in the high school’s large auditorium. Tickets are available for purchase at shakertheatre.ludus.com and at the door.
Written by William Shakespeare, “The Tempest” follows Prospero, a former duke who has been exiled to a remote island with his daughter, Miranda. After conjuring a powerful storm that shipwrecks his enemies, Prospero sets in motion a story about revenge, forgiveness and reconciliation. In Shaker’s production, Prospero is Prospera, played by senior Isabel Siegel.
The theatre program selected the play because of its long-standing connection to Shakespeare, according to theatre teacher and director Scott Sumerak.
“We have a long tradition of doing Shakespeare here,” Sumerak said. “‘The Tempest’ is a really accessible piece. The story is pretty straightforward, and it’s an easy way to have a manageable on-ramp into classical work.”
The department typically performs a Shakespeare play every other year. Sumerak said this year’s production will be “vaguely traditional,” drawing some inspiration from the Victorian era while keeping the focus on the characters and story.
“The nice thing about Shakespeare is that the stories are so universal,” Sumerak said. “We could literally do it in street clothes and the story would still make sense.”
Junior Sophia Federici plays Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, who has spent her entire life isolated on the island. When unexpected visitors arrive after the storm — the tempest — Miranda meets a human other than her father for the first time.
“She’s lived on the island for most of her life and has never really seen other people,” Federici said. “When someone new arrives, she ends up falling in love.”
Senior Myles Hills plays Ferdinand, Miranda’s lover. The two actors said their real-life friendship helped them portray the characters’ relationship on stage.
“It’s definitely not as awkward as it could be because we’re really good friends,” Federici said. “But sometimes it’s hard to find the line between being in love and just being my friend.”
Hills said their existing friendship made the performances feel more natural, even if it occasionally made the romantic scenes a little strange.
“It’s more comfortable than working with someone I’m not really close to,” Hills said. “But at the same time, it can make it a little awkward because we’re such good friends.”
Like many productions in the theatre program, “The Tempest” is largely student-driven. Students contribute not only as performers but also behind the scenes by painting scenery, designing costumes and running technical elements such as lighting and sound.
“We like to treat our program as if we’re running a small theatre company,” Sumerak said. “All of the students have a hand in making that company operate.”
Said Sumerak, “Shaker always says that they support the arts. Coming to see productions like this is how people can show that it’s still an important part of our community.”
