Photos: First Look at Renée Elise Goldsberry & More in Public Works' THE TEMPEST

Public Works’ The Tempest (Directed by Laurie Woolery, with music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez, and choreographed by Tiffany Rea-Fisher) is running at The Delacorte Theater through Sunday, September 3.

 Get a first look at photos below!

As we continue to rebuild out of the pandemic, Public Works enters its second decade by revisiting the play that launched the program, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In The Public’s decade-long tradition of bringing together a diverse ensemble of both professional and community members from all five boroughs of New York City, this Public Works production examines what it means to be isolated and how we find our way back to one another. With music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez and directed by Obie Award winner and Director of Public Works Laurie Woolery, this ambitious work of participatory theater explores the grief of being cut off from community, the desire for retribution, and the healing power of love.
 
Forced from their home, Prospero and her daughter Miranda have survived for 12 years among the ruins of an abandoned island. As Prospero grows closer to getting the justice she desires, she witnesses her daughter fall in love, listens to the wisdom of spirit ancestors, and discovers that sometimes forgiveness is the only way to break cycles and right the course for the next generation. Hilarious fools, magical spells, and ancestral spirits dance through this production as we all come together to celebrate what it means to be human.
 
The Equity cast of The Tempest includes Tristan André (Sebastian), Brianna Cabrera (Spirit Ancestor Lead Singer), Sabrina Cedeño (Trinculo), Anthony Chatmon II (Antonio), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Prospero), Jo Lampert (Ariel), Patrick O’Hare (Spirit Ancestor Lead Singer), Joel Perez (Stephano), Hunter Ringsmith (Understudy Antonio/Caliban/Sebastian), Edwin Rivera (Spirit Ancestor Lead Singer), Housso Sémon (Understudy Prospero), and Theo Stockman (Caliban).
 
Public Works’ The Tempest features scenic design by Alexis Distler; costume design by Wilberth Gonzalez; lighting design by David Weiner; sound design by Jessica Paz; hair, wig, and makeup design by Krystal Balleza; prop management by Alexander Wylie; intimacy and fight direction by Kelsey Rainwater; music direction by Andrea Grody; orchestrations by Mike Brun; and music coordination by Kristy Norter. Roxana Khan serves as production stage manager and Janelle Caso and Jessie Moore serve as stage managers.