PRISM Theatre - Shakespeare in the Park

Well, our revels now have indeed ended - the past four months of hard work, dedication, and lots of fun have come to a close. Three out of the five nights had perfect, sunny weather in the park, one show was performed in the Rene M Caisse Memorial Theatre while a real-life tempest (tornadoes!) raged outside, and Saturday's finale was performed in the park amid soggy skies (there never was an audience so brave).

Once again, a monumental thank-you to everyone who attended, performed, helped out, and offered support - there are so many people who were never seen on the stage without whom this production would never have happened or been as wonderful and experience as it was. Our set-builders, producers, backstage directors, sound crew, musicians, board of directors, parents, and volunteers: we bow to you.

As a parting gift until next summer, we'll leave you with some pictures of the performances, as well as a small essay/summary of our production. As Prospero would say, "Let me not, since I have my dukedom got, and pardoned the deceiver, dwell on this bare island by your spell."

Or, as Stephen Fenn would say, "Adieuadieuadieu."

All pictures were taken by either Jeremy Clipsham or Chris Hutt - more can be seen at Jeremy's photobucket album, or on facebook.

( 'How many goodly creatures there are here! How beautiful mankind is!' )
As in every production - musical, theatrical, or otherwise - there are things the audience will never notice (or worse, notice and not understand). These are little touches that have usually been meticulously rehearsed, only to fit so seamlessly into the play only the most eagle-eyed observer will spot them. Every company has their own personal techniques, signature moves, or ways of expressing subtle details. Ours is no exception. Below are a few such things we've included in the production; if you want to get the most from your PRISM experience, or you're interested in the subtleties of both Shakespeare and Robin's expert direction, then lay on Macduff (oops wrong play).

( Echoes and Islands... )

Time for some promotional photos! We've been getting some wonderful publicity in Bracebridge, both from What's Up Magazine in both Bracebridge and Gravenhurst, and from The Weekender. We've also got a truly beautiful program (designed by our own Jeremy Swinarton) in our hot little hands.

-The article in What's Up (we're on page 24) can be read on their website. Here's the picture they took:

"Ferdinand, played by Brodie Cooper, plays reaching out to Clare Hutchinson as Miranda in The Tempest, a play directed by Robin Clipsham. Watching from the background are Josh Harris as Prospero and Jessica Wright as the sprite Ariel."

-The Weekender had a picture on the front page, and an excellent article and photo on page 8. You can read it here on their website. Credit for the haunting photos goes to Matt Driscoll from The Bracebridge Examiner.

"Things turn heated as Jessica Wright, as the sprite Ariel, and Josh Harris as Prospero accost Jordan Ratanadawong as Caliban as they rehearse for an upcoming performance of The Tempest."


( Three more pictures below... )
This is also a reminder to the cast of set-up and the rehearsal tomorrow in the park, and to practicepracticepractice!

Last Thursday the cast had their headshots taken by Jeremy Clipsham - take a look below for pictures of all our wonderful cast, as well as a cast list! Opening night is less than one week away \o/

This is also for the cast to see everyone else's picture and save a copy of their own. Remember to keep practicing your lines! :)

Less than a month now until performance time, and publicity is kicking up: pictures are being taken, costumes chosen, and posters tacked up all over town. Here's the main poster we're using:

Hello again! Last night we had another great rehearsal, marred only by the injury of our Ariel - get well soon, Jess! We meet again on Thursday, but to tide you over, and to make you a little more familiar with the play ('there's a lot of magic in it' is a great beginning, but there's a lot more to know!). There are all kinds of things - from Shakespeare's criticism of colonialism to the power of free will - that even the most seasoned Shakespearean actors can miss about this play, which is the last one Shakespeare wrote on his own, and thus is one of his cleverest, most complex, and best-written (Shakespeare = one smart cookie).

This was written by Alan Somerset to accompany the Stratford Festival's 2005 production of The Tempest, in which Prospero was played for the fourth time by legendary actor William Hutt in his retiring role. Actors, read it through and try to find the paragraph about your character! (There are also pictures.) Enjoy!

( As you from crimes would pardoned be, let your indulgence set me free )

Last summer, PRISM was thrilled to present Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at Annie Williams Park. It was a wonderful performance that we very much enjoyed working on: madcaps and lovers and fairies, oh my! We had beautiful weather, a gorgeous setting, and great turnout, and look forward to the same (x 100!) this year. Below are some of the best moments of Midsummer, captured by various audience members as well as Jeremy Swinarton, who also did the cast headshots. Many of these talented people will also be performing in The Tempest, so keep an eye out!

oo - Two of our fairies relax before opening night.

( Rehearsals and Candids - 'How now, spirit! Whither wander you?' )

( Opening Night and Performances - 'If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended: that you did but slumber here, while these visions did appear...' )

Welcome to the LJ/website for PRISM! First things first: an introduction. We are a community theatre group based in Muskoka that puts on professional-quality productions every summer. Our company is composed of a large group of dedicated and talented young people and is led by Robin Clipsham, directrice and actress extraordinaire. Last year we performed Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (press release).

Second things first: What is The Tempest? Dictionary.com tells me it is "a violent commotion, disturbance, or tumult." It is also a play by William Shakespeare that has been performed on stages across the world for hundreds of years. It is a play about Prospero, a magician who lives on an island with his daughter Miranda and the island's native inhabitant Caliban - once a powerful duke, Prospero was usurped by his brother Antonio and the duke of Naples, Alonso. By a powerful storm, Antonio, Alonso, Alonso's son Ferdinand, several scheming noblemen, a drunk butler, and a wise old counselor are shipwrecked on the island. What follows is a tale of revenge, power, forgiveness, hilarity, and love.

Want to come watch the play? Here's the facebook event. We will be performing the play August 18th-August 22nd.

Want to know more about Shakespeare's The Tempest?
-An overview
-The full text
-The study guide
-Spark Notes
-A picture of lightning

Maintained by mcollinknight . Pictures, more information information, and progress reports to be added!