OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE
presents
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTED BY BARBARA ZAHORA
With JEANNIE AFFELDER, BELINDA BREMNER, DAKOTAH BROWN, TONY BOZZUTO, MATT GALL, NOELLE KLYCE, BERNELL LASSAI III, ORION LAY-SLEEPER, SAVANNA RAE, DEANALIS RESTO, IAN R.Q. SLATER, KEVIN THEIS, EMMA SIPORA TYLER, AUSTYN WILLIAMSON
Scenic Design
Ryan Fox
Costume Design
Rachel M. Sypniewski
Lighting Design
Liz Cooper
Original Music and Sound Design
George Zahora
Vocal Composer and Music Director
Jennifer Harlee Mitchell
Movement and Dance Choreography
Erica Bittner
Movement, Combat, and Intimacy Direction
Mark Lancaster
Production Stage Manager
Wallace Craig
Press Representative
Carol Fox & Associates
Casting
Lucy Carr
Production Manager
Jeremy Eisen
CAST
Antonia: Jeannie Affelder
Gonzalo: Belinda Bremner+
Master of Ship/Francisco/Spirit: Dakotah Brown
Sebastian: Tony Bozzuto
Caliban: Matt Gall*+
Alonsa: Noelle Klyce
Ariel: Bernell Lassai III, Ian R.Q. Slater
Stephano: Orion Lay-Sleeper
Trinculo: Savanna Rae
Miranda: Deanalis Resto
Prospero: Kevin Theis*+
Boatswain/Adrian/Spirit: Emma Sipora Tyler
Ferdinand: Austyn Williamson
* Member of Actors’ Equity
+ OPFT Artistic Associate
UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of appearance.
Understudy for Master of Ship, Francisco, Spirit: MAURA PAWELKO~; for Boatswain, Adrian, Spirit: DINA PEREZ~; for Alonsa, Antonia: DOREEN DAWSON; for Gonzalo, Prospero: TIMOTHY SULLIVAN; for Sebastian, Ferdinand: OSCAR HEW~; for Trinculo: CHLOE BASSETT~; for Miranda: ISABEL RODEN; for Stephano: JACKSON MIKKELSEN~.
~ Member of the 2021 OPFT Summer Intern Cohort
SUMMARY
Prospero, hungry for revenge, conjures a storm to torment his malevolent sister, Antonia. Prospero uses this moment to tell Miranda, his daughter, that Antonia deposed him from dukedom over a decade ago. With the assistance of Gonzalo, Prospero had set out to sea on a boat with Miranda. They landed on a magical land where he enslaved Caliban, the only native islander. He then saved a spirit named Ariel from imprisonment.
The storm that he casts forces all crew members to land on the magical island. King of Naples’ son, Ferdinand, who was presumed dead, landed in a different part of the island. He finds Miranda and instantly falls in love. Meanwhile, Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano attempt to murder Prospero. All while, Antonia manipulates Sebastian to kill his brother, Alonsa – King of Naples.
Will those that committed injustice be held accountable? Does Caliban kill Prospero? Grace, forgiveness, and love ultimately provide redemption in this funny and touching tale.
BIOS
Even though we chose this play long before Coronavirus and the murder of George Floyd changed our world so significantly, its themes of exile, injustice, the struggle for power, self-discovery and healing are all particularly resonant after the last year.
As people start to come out of their homes and find a new normal post-pandemic, we hope this will be particularly meaningful for those seeing it for the first time.
Barbara Zahora - DIRECTOR OF THE TEMPEST AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE
THANK YOU FOR COMING!
The OPFT Family would love to thank you for supporting, The Tempest.
This would have not been possible without YOU. The audience completes this event so THANK YOU!
We hope The Tempest tempted your inner theatre love!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
NANCY CLARK, ANDREW BARRER,
PAULA AND ED GOEDERT
AND THESE INDIVIDUAL DONORS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND FOUNDATIONS
SPECIAL THANKS TO GALEN GOCKEL AND
THE GALEN GOCKEL INTERNSHIP FUND, AND
TO SAMANTHA BARR AND DOMINICAN COLLEGE