The Tempest 1995

Performed by he LSC at Lincoln Christ's Hospital School

23rd - 28th October 1995

Director: John Armitage

Assistant Director: Karen Crow

Music: Liz Lucas and Nikki-Kate Heyes

Cast

Alonso: Paul Corbett

Sebastian: Dave Clayton

Prospero: Colin Brimblecombe

Antonio: Simon Clark

Miranda: Jo Smith

Ferdinand: Richard Jones

Gonzalo: Neil Perkins

Francesca: Aggi Gunstone

Caliban: John Armitage

Trinculo: Jo Clark

Stephano: Karen Crow

Ariel: Simon Hollingworth

Ceres: Aggi Gunstone

Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan and his daughter, Miranda, live on an island inhabited only by the beast Caliban and an assortment of spirits whom Prospero has the power to command. Through his use of magic, Prospero has the opportunity to revenge himself on his usurping brother, Antonio and the co-conspirators including the King of Naples. However, he forgoes the privilege of revenge by engineering a match between his daughter and the King's son, Ferdinand, and the return of his Dukedom by the repentant Alonso. A plot by his servant, Caliban, to murder the and of the drunken Stephano and Trinculo is easily foiled by Prospero and his chief spirit, Ariel. At the end of the play Prospero renounces his magic and returns, with his daughter to Milan.

"For me one of the most thought provoking and perhaps the most magical of Shakespeare's plays. Now that we as audience and actors have move on a long way from the Elizabethan days, our understanding of the concepts of magic, illusion, betrayal, kings, princes and all the rest have in turn developed. The Victorian/Edwardian setting that we adopted therefore seemed to find a mid way point of reference. It also alluded to a time of change in moral outlook, in attitude to royalty and colonies and other trappings of empire.

Now whether or not anyone actually got all that beats me, but I had a great time thinking it up, and even better time trying to convince the cast that it all made sense and the best time of all taking the part of Caliban with two weeks to go - including donning copious amounts of clay and hopping around the stage like some strange insect-come-crab-come-slave-come-ape-descendent-missing-linky-thing. Thanks to Rob Smith for doing his back in, oh so conveniently."

John Armitage, Director and 'Caliban'.

"an extremely high quality production"

Lincoln Target 26/10/95