Cast Revealed For THE TEMPEST at Salisbury International Arts Festival 2023

Wiltshire Creative has announced the full cast and creative team for their flagship summer production The Tempest. Much of the cast have roots in Salisbury or have previously performed in Wiltshire Creative productions and are returning for this bespoke, community focused project. Artistic Director of Wilshire Creative, Gareth Machin directs Robert Bowman (Prospero), Elizabeth Crarer (Antonia), Matt Crosby (Trinculo), Emma Lau (Miranda), Robert Macpherson (Sebastian), Lloyd Notice (Alonso), David Partridge (Caliban), Heather Phoenix (Stephana), Georgina Sutton (Gonzala) and Samuel Tracy (Ferdinand).

The Tempest opens the Salisbury International Arts Festival 2023 on 26 May, with previews from 24 May and runs until 4 June. The production, staged in Salisbury's Churchill Gardens, designed by Dan Potra features sound design by Mike Beer, movement direction by Khiley Williams, casting by Gabrielle Dawes CDG and musical supervision by Kate Edgar.

Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, Gareth Machin said today: "It's a huge privilege to be working with such a fantastic company of actors on this incredible play. With many of the actors based locally or former members of our youth theatre, Stage '65, it's a brilliant celebration of the creative talent in our city and region."

The cast includes actors returning to Wiltshire Creative following performances in previous in house shows including Bedroom Farce, The Recruiting Officer and Her Naked Skin. They will be joined by members of the local community in Salisbury for this bespoke project. The Tempest is a continuation of recent multi-art form projects involving collaboration between professionals and the community such as Congress, Stone Songs, Earth Rise and Bath Philharmonia concert.

A stunning re-imagining of Shakespeare's fabulous tale, and journey deep into one of Salisbury's most beloved parks. This centrepiece to Salisbury International Arts Festival follows a King and his entourage shipwrecked on an island of magic and mystery. It is a place of music and visions, surprising encounters, and unlikely friendships. But what secrets does this island hold? Who or what is really in charge? And will the world ever be the same again?

This show is an outdoor walkabout production, meaning audiences will move from scene to scene alongside the cast. Audiences should bring a portable chair or picnic blanket, to carry with them to each location. Limited seating is available for those who need it on request from Ticket Sales

Robert Bowman plays Prospero he returns to Salisbury Playhouse having previously performed in The Stranger on the Bridge. His theatre credits include Twelfth Night (Royal Shakespeare Theatre), The Wives' Excuse (Swan Theatre), The Broken Heart (Open Air Theatre, Avonbank Gardens), The Comedy of Errors (The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon), The Prisoner's Dilemma (PIT, London), Love in a Wood (Swan Theatre) The Crucible (Royal Shakespeare Theatre) An Inspector Calls (National Theatre), Haroun and the Sea of Stories (National Theatre), The Orestia, Ivanov and The Normal Heart (National Theatre) Grimm Tales (Young Vic), More Grimm Tales (Young Vic), As I Lay Dying (Young Vic), Twelfth Night (Young Vic) Spinning into Butter (Royal Court) The Odyssey (Bristol Old Vic), Cyrano De Bergerac (Bristol Old Vic) Diary of a Madman (Living Pictures Productions and International Tour). For television his credits include Richard III, Will, The Bastard Executioner; and for film, Say My Name, Can you Hear Me? and The Agent.

Elizabeth Crarer plays Antonia. Her theatre credits include The Snow Queen and Lark Rise to Candleford (Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Insane Root Theatre), The Ballad of Maria Marten (Eastern Angles, Matthew Linley Creative Projects and Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough), Macbeth (Rabble Theatre Company) and Matilda the Empress (Rabble Theatre Company), When the Rain Stops Falling (Red Dog Theatre Co), Shakespeare Undone (The Natural Theatre Company), The Temples of Minerva (Butterfly Psyche), Hamlet (Watermill Theatre), Othello (Watermill Theatre) Emily: the making of a militant (The Production Exchange) The Disappearance of Sadie Jones (Hannah Silva in association with the Bike Shed Theatre) Bronte (Shared Experience) Charley's Aunt (Manchester Royal Exchange), Breakfast at Tiffany's (Theatre Royal Haymarket) The Applecart and The Browning Version (Theatre Royal Bath).

David Partridge is Caliban. He has previously performed in The Recruiting Officer and Bedroom Farce at Salisbury Playhouse. His theatre credits include The Secret Theatre (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe), All My Sons (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Barefoot in the Park (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford), The Mummy (Coventry Belgrade), Charley's Aunt (Theatre Royal Bath), The Comedy of Errors (Northcott Theatre, Exeter), The Taming of The Shrew (Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park), You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse), Superior Donuts (Southwark Playhouse), Round and Round the Garden (Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne), The Safari Party (Library Theatre, Manchester), The Taming of the Shrew (Nottingham Playhouse), Measure for Measure (Riverside Studios), Stone Cold Murder (Vienna's English Theatre), The Gentlemen (Jermyn Street Theatre). UK tours include The Mirror Crack'd, See How They Run, Twelfth Night, Travels with my Aunt and Murder on Air. For television his credits include Colosseum, There She Goes, Always and Everyone; and for film, The Lost and Young and High and Dead.

Emma Lau is Miranda. Her theatre credits include Signal Fires (New Earth Theatre), Miss Julie (Storyhouse), The Suicide (Storyhouse), The Worst Witch (Vaudeville Theatre and UK tour), Table (New Vic Theatre), Foreign Goods 3 (Pokfulam RD Productions) O Deptford (Albany and Yellow Theatre), The Last Days of Limehouse (Yellow Earth Theatre). Emma's television credits include Lagging; and for film, School for Good and Evil, Venom 2 and Artemis Fowl.

Georgina Sutton is Gonzala. Her theatre credits include Her Naked Skin (Salisbury Playhouse), Larkin with Women (Esk Valley Theatre), Handbagged (English Theatre Frankfurt), Goodnight Mister Tom (Chichester Festival Theatre, Duke of York's and UK tour), Macbeth (Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Stepping Out (Devonshire Park, Eastbourne), Closer and The Diary of Anne Frank (Palace Theatre, Westcliff), Broken Glass (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford), Hay fever (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford), Popcorn (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford), Dancing at Lughnasa (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford), Habeas Corpus (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford), White Rose (Latchmere), Arms and the Man (Greenwich Studio), Spike (Battersea Arts Centre), Blood and Ice (Young Vic). UK tours include Private Lives (Eastbourne Theatres), Dangerous Corner (Ian Dickens Productions,) and Round and Round the Garden (Talking Scarlett Productions). For film her credits include The Gallery and Homecoming.

Heather Phoenix is Stephana. Previous credits at Salisbury Playhouse include Moll Sanders and Much Ado About Nothing (Northern Broadsides). Other theatre credits include Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, The Secret Garden (Chester Storyhouse/Grosvenor Park), The Rivals, Watch it Sailor!, Electra, Noises Off, Hay Fever, Under the Blue Sky, Rebecca, Around the World in 80 Days, The Good Companions, In Flame, All My Sons (Keswick Theatre by the Lake), The Wind in the Willows (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Sugar Daddies (Harrogate Theatre and Oldham Coliseum); The BFG (Palace Theatre, Manchester), The Threepenny Opera (Theatr Clwyd touring), Into the Woods, Bedroom Farce, Macbeth, Tom Jones, Moll Flanders (York Theatre Royal); Cabaret (The Watermill), Happy End (Nottingham Playhouse). For television, her credits include Coronation Street (series regular) and for film, Anita and Me.

Lloyd Notice is Alonso. His theatre credits include The Butterfly Lion (Mercury Theatre, Colchester, and UK tour), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre), The Gods Are Not to Blame (Arcola Theatre) Othello (Barrauch Theatre, NY), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Exeter Northcott Theatre), Twelfth Night (Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Moby Dick (RSC), Dr Livingstone I Presume? (Riverside Studios). For television, Lloyd's credits include The Burning Girls, The Final Passage, The Wild House, and for film, Long Live The King.

Matt Crosby is Trinculo. His theatre credits include Antigone (Storyhouse), The Importance of being Earnest (Vaudeville Theatre), To Sir, With Love (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Kiss Me Quickstep (New Vic Theatre and Stephen Joseph Theatre), Of Mice and Men (The Dukes, Lancaster), Dead of Night (Sheringham Little Theatre), Rebecca (Sidmouth Pavilion), Our Benny (Liverpool Empire), Robin Hood (Minack Theatre), Toska (The Marilyn Monroe Theatre, Hollywood), As You Like It (Arts Theatre, LA), Look Back in Anger (The Studio, LA), Hansel and Gretel (Bolton Octagon), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Redditch Playhouse), Pericles (Cochrane Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Swan Theatre, Worcester). For film Matt's credits include The Spawning and The Calcium Kid.

Robert Macpherson is Sebastian. He has previously performed at Salisbury Playhouse in Stranger on the Bridge. His theatre credits include Pipeline (Oxford Playhouse and UK tour), Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies (RSC, West End and Broadway) Faint Lines (Young Vic), Kindness of Strangers (Southwark Playhouse and UK tour), Situation Room (Hull Truck and UK tour), Babel (Lyric Hammersmith), YMBBT (Barbican), Macbeth (Orange Tree), Inherit The Wind, Ignite and The 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic), An Enemy of the People (Arcola), Akenfield (UK Tour) and The Emperor Jones (National Theatre). His television credits include Sex Researchers; and for film, Code of Silence and World War Z.

Samuel Tracy is Ferdinand. His theatre credits include The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Unicorn Theatre) Half-Empty Glasses, A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, The Ultimate Pickle (Paines Plough Roundabout Season) WILD (Unicorn Theatre) Romeo and Juliet (Southwark Playhouse) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Rose Theatre Kingston) Sticky (Southwark Playhouse) Zigger Zagger (Wilton's Music Hall) Orfeo (Royal Opera House and Roundhouse) Because of you (Hampton Hill Theatre). Samuel's television credits include Woke Overnight.

Gareth Machin is the Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative. Previously, he was studio associate at The National Theatre, artistic director of Southwark Playhouse and associate director at Bristol Old Vic.

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