Feature: Nevada Shakespeare Festival Returns with The Tempest

Celebrate Shakespeare in the springtime with the return of the Nevada Shakespeare Festival. In collaboration with The city of Henderson, the Bard comes to the Las Vegas Valley with Shakespeare in the Park and their mainstage production of The Tempest at the Water Street Plaza Amphitheater May 18-20 and May 25-27.

Small casts and raucous adaptation present an approachable, witty, and fun adaptation starring Master Illusionist Rod Raven as the tortured Prospero. Mystical island creatures, love at first sight, and shipwrecked nemesis collide to bring theatergoers a tale of betrayal and new beginnings. Artistic Director, Executive Director, and Founder Matthew Morgan adapted and directed a project full of passion.

Matthew first approached the city of Henderson to collaborate pre-pandemic, but everything was put on hold due to the pandemic. The city of Henderson then approached the Nevada Shakespeare Festival in January 2021 to offer the renovated Water Street Plaza Amphitheater for outdoor performances.

"I used the opportunity to create the website, key elements for promotion, and then we developed Romeo and Juliet in 11 rehearsals," explains Matthew. "The festival was born out of the long game, but a quick opportunity came along that we jumped on when given a chance."

As for the public's love of Shakespeare, "I feel that there is a love and hate relationship sometimes. The majesty of it just takes some people, and others do not care. Our goal is to capture both audiences. There are festivals all around the country doing incredible work, and we want to be one of them. We are an adaptive festival, so we take the play and adapt them to two hours in length, and we do take liberties with casting and gender-swapping, all in a guise to honor the text, language, story, characters, and relationships. We use comedy to hook audiences. I love it as we create a well-rounded festival with something for everyone."

Matthew has a background studying theater and Shakespeare at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. In a twist, he attended the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and toured with the circus for two years while living on the train. Matthew then moved to New York City and performed in every store, bar, window, club, theater, and street corner. He would collaborate with other artists and began to devise his artistic voice. He lived in Los Angeles before commuting to Las Vegas to star as The Gazillionaire in Absinthe at Caesars Palace in 2011. After deciding to start a family, Matthew and his wife made Las Vegas their home.

The Nevada Shakespeare Festival will curate artists who produce adaptive, unique, clever, interactive, socially relevant, accessible, and thrilling works, presenting shows that appeal to first-time theatergoers. For those who already love the world's most beloved playwright, this is a chance to see his work in a new and inspired way. Matthew's wife, Heidi Brucker Morgan, is a co-founder, secretary on the board and grant writer. The Nevada Shakespeare Festival is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization offering multiple shows and other projects throughout the year.

The Nevada Shakespeare Festival will also foster creativity and imaginative play and encourage a love of literature and creative writing. The Nevada Shakespeare Festival will inspire a sense of self-worth and give students the tools to discover their artistic voice and to self-produce to nurture a new generation of devised theater-makers.

Cast:

Rod Raven

Amanda Guardado

Heidi Brucker Morgan

Joshua Berg

Erik Amblad

Marivic Guevara

Christopher Brown

TIMOTHY CUMMINGS

Jonas Woolverton

Brandon Alan McClenahan

Kim Wood

Karl Baumann

Stig Zeiner

Set design by Roxy Mojica

Lighting design by Sydney May

Props by Justin Lex

Wardrobe by Shannon Nightingale

Stage Manager Sam Caughron

The mainstage production of The Tempest will be performed at the Water Street Plaza Amphitheater in downtown Henderson May 18-20 and May 25-27. Tickets are $10 and $15. For more info, visit nevadashakespearefestival.com or connect on social media @ nvshakefest on Instagram and Facebook.

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