As opening night approached, the Stone Ridge cast of the Tempest could feel butterflies fluttering in their stomachs. For the fall play, Ms. Blakeslee chose the renowned Shakespearean comedy, filled with challenges for both the actors and the designers.
The Tempest centers on a shipwreck that leaves a handful of complex characters stranded on a mysterious and magical island. Drama and hilarity ensues as the stranded foreigners’ and native islanders’ personalities collide. All of the action happens through complex Shakespearean language that the Stone Ridge actors have spent months trying to learn and master.
From the second the curtain parted to the moment the members of the cast took their final bows, the audience was completely captivated by the magic these actors brought to the Sophie Center on the weekend of November 22nd. The set alone was so dramatic and inventive that it almost immediately transported the audience into another world of expansive sea and lush island landscape. The vibrant colors made it hard to look away. The interactive set, such as a rock Annelise Coffin ‘16 continually crawls out of and a rope swing Maryam Fassihi ‘16 climbs on, only pushed the creative boundaries even further.
Although the language was difficult to follow, the actors on stage seemed to speak it with ease and confidence. Olivia Gwynn ‘15 spoke as Prospero in a very genuine and relatable tone that made it easy to forget that she was uttering a dialect spoken over 200 years ago. What gave this production an extra edge was the way the overall cast worked together. The on-stage chemistry was visible and palpable and burned brightly above the hard language.
Ellie Nuckolls ‘17 and Naima Fonrose ‘16 played starstruck lovers; Ellen Morrissey ‘16 and Claire Biffl ‘16 were best friends who got lost under the influence of alcohol; Oleńka Wellisz ‘17 and Cate Chandler ‘16 acted as manipulative accomplices planning the death of their King; and Gwynn ‘15 and Fassihi ‘16 were a master and his supernatural attendant. All of these pairings caught the audience’s attention. Audience members stared in amazement at Coffin’s ‘17 endearing and disturbing outbursts and pleads for freedom, and were sympathizing with Knuckles ’17 and her heartfelt desires. On opening night, the cast transformed the room, creating a magical atmosphere which can only be found in a supportive community such as Stone Ridge.
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