THE TEMPEST, Set in Post-Katrina NOLA, Coming to Columbia University

Columbia University School of the Arts will present NJ Agwuna's (Columbia MFA Directing Candidate 2018) production of THE TEMPEST.

Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore himself and his daughter, Miranda, to their rightful place, using magic and skillful manipulation. The eponymous tempest brings Prospero's usurping brother Antonio and the complicit Alonso, King of Naples to the island. Fusing the history of New Orleans and the magic of Shakespeare's island, this production examines how extraordinary events can shake a community to its core.

Featuring: Olivia Abiassi, Justin Michael Cooke, Freddie Fulton, Garrett Gray, Luke Hofmaier*, Kyle Ingleman, Roger Lipson*, Emily Loewus, Amy Miyako, Chris Murray, Adrienne Paquin*, Eddie Powers, Erin Salm*, Tiffany Small, Roberto Tolentino. *Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

Creative Team: Producer/GM Lucia Xiaoran Zhu, Production Stage Manager Jessica Emmanus, Company Manager Thomas Swayne, Dramaturg Lucy Powis, Set Designer Andrew Moerdyk, Costume Designer Avery Reed, Lighting Designer Eric Norbury and Ethan Olsen, Sound Designer Ian Wehrle, Assistant Stage Managers Lola Bao and Lanie Liu.

THE TEMPEST will run for a strictly limited engagement at The Lenfest Center for the Arts at 615 W. 129th Street. Performances are November 8-11 at 8 pm, with a 2 pm matinee Saturday, November 11. Tickets are $15 General Admission, $5 Seniors, or free with a student ID. Tickets: $15/ $5 Seniors/ FREE with Student ID (enter code: "STUDENT"). For tickets and more information, visit arts.columbia.edu/events.

NJ Agwuna is a freelance theatre and film director hailing from central Maryland. Performing from a young age, NJ began studying theatre at REP Stage Summer Institute, where she not only learned the art of acting, but was also inspired to pursue the adventurous life of directing. She approaches theatre with curiosity and wonder, believing that theatre can not only heal us, but show us all the possibilities of the world that we inhabit. She has worked on a national and international scale exploring classic text, devising, and investigating new ways to explore trauma through theatre.

The Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University School of the Arts presents a season of thesis actor and director productions as well as a festival of new plays by emerging playwrights each year. The Theatre Program at the School of the Arts offers MFA degrees in: Acting, Directing, Playwriting, Dramaturgy, Stage Management, and Theatre Management & Producing. For more information about the Theatre Program, visit arts.columbia.edu/theatre.