Tron Theatre Company has announced their re-opening production, The Tempest (29 October -13 November) featuring an all-female cast.
Artistic Director, Andy Arnold will devise and direct a brand-new version of one of Shakespeare's last plays, in collaboration with Movement Director, Kerieva McCormick, who is Artistic Director of Kam-Ri Dance Theatre. Working with a cast of eleven Scottish-based female/female identifying actors, none of whom have been cast in a Tron production before, The Tempest will be staged during the COP26 summit in a way that embraces a more environmentally friendly approach to producing work (minimalist staging with set, prop and costume recycled from stock) and capitalises on the extraordinary atmosphere of the Tron's stripped-back main auditorium.
Historically, this piece was scheduled to be staged in early 2021 as part of an Actors Only season, alongside a piece with an all-male cast (now scheduled for our Spring-Summer 2022 season). This approach to casting, concentrating resources to allow for much larger casts than would ordinarily be possible, was Andy's response to an open audition process carried out earlier this year, where he saw over 400 predominantly female actors. Acknowledging that there are simply not enough professional opportunities for Scotland-based performers, he resolved to find a way to counteract this.
At once dreamlike, surreal, magical, romantic and cruel, The Tempest is essentially a play about the exploitation of male power and greed and the colonisation of other lands and their indigenous inhabitants. Introducing an exclusively female voice to the stage subverts this interpretation, bringing a new energy and nuance to the language. Said Andy of the origins of his decision to cast eleven women:
'I have wanted for some time to explore this play with an all-female cast. Seven years ago, I staged the production with a student cast from the RCS and eight of the eleven students happened to be women. A female interpretation of such characters as Prospero, Caliban, Alonso and Antonio brought a freshness and vigour to the piece. I repeated this process of gender-blind casting with another production of this play in Beijing, with Chinese actors, a few years later. For me, the logical next step was to make this predominantly male play with an all-female cast and am excited to see what new interpretations will transpire in the rehearsal room as a result.'
Running time approx. 80 minutes
CAST LIST
Nicole Cooper - Prospero
Catriona Faint - Sebastian
Taylor Goodwin - Stefano
Liz Kettle - Caliban
Megan McGuire - Gonzalo
Ariana Ferris McLean - Trinculo
Itxaso Moreno - Ariel
Katya Morrison - Antonio
Titana Muthui - Miranda
Ninon Noiret - Alonso
Elle Watson - Ferdinand
CREATIVE TEAM
Written by
William Shakespeare
Devised & Directed by Andy Arnold
Movement Director - Kerieva McCormick (Artistic Director Kam-Ri Dance Theatre)
Sound Design - Niroshini Thambar
Design Consultant - Jenny Booth
Costume Design - Vicki Brown
Lighting Design -
Benny Goodman
DETAILS:
Friday 29 October - Saturday 13 November 2021
THE TEMPEST
Main Auditorium
7.30pm (matinees: Sat 6, Wed 10 & Sat 13 Nov, 2.30pm)
Access performances: CAP Thu 11 Nov, 7.30pm; BSL Fri 12 Nov, 7.30pm & Sat 13 Nov, 2.30pm
Tickets: £19/£16/£14.50 (Previews £10)
Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB
0141 552 4267
http://www.tron.co.uk/
For more information visit: http://www.tron.co.uk
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