The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Ludlow Brewery
July 2015
The Tempest was a highly rewarding production in which a challenging play was revealed in the journeys of the characters and ourselves as actors, discovering the dynamism and texture in the relationships and the language. The feedback was stunning from an audience who were transported too by a production of which we are very proud.
“An extraordinary production of The Tempest... the phrase that occurs to me is 'freshly reimagined', but that doesn't tell the half of it.”
Steve Griffiths, poet
“Another Rooftop Theatre gem.”
Prue Britten in the Ludlow Ledger
Cast & Crew
Prospero - Morgan Rees-Davies
Ariel - Daniel Wilby
Caliban - Ian Seddon
Miranda - Eleanor Painter
Ferdinand - Johnny Ostle
Alonso - Charmian Ingham
Gonzalo - Ewan Gibb
Sebastian - Peter Gillham
Antonio - David Scotswood
Trinculo - Paul Sayers
Stephano - Simon Bolton
Boatswain - Elizabeth Howard
Director - Simon Bolton
Producer/ Assistant director - Paul Sayers
Deputy stage manager - Kate Farmer
Lighting and sound - Wild Edric Media
Original music - Steve Dunachie
Photography - Elizabeth Howard
Review
An extraordinary production of The Tempest at Ludlow Brewery. The phrase that occurs to me is “freshly reimagined”, but that doesn’t tell the half of it. The mixture of professional and amateur actors really understand how the verse moves; they are plugged into how Shakespeare can sound natural and contemporary, making it more accessible, and the poetry more vivid and penetrative.
The production had a rhythm, overseen by a superb Prospero (Morgan Rees-Davies) who moved from harshness to forgiveness in the very essence of a last play performance, stepping up by stepping down with a profound grace.
They’d worked on the relationships: particularly touching were Prospero and Ariel (Daniel Wilby, again superb) and Ferdinand and Miranda, but what plays through the mind afterwards is the stunning comic trio of Caliban (Ian Seddon – unbelievably and amateur, a great performance), and Directors Paul Sayers and Simon Bolton as Trinculo and Stephano: the humour and the pathos won’t be forgotten, and the wielding of Shakespeare’s language as an immediate instrument. Every scene worked on exhaustively and freshly – what an achievement. The audience loved it.
Steve Griffiths, poet