Rehearsals start for this months' Stafford Festival Shakespeare production of The Tempest
The cast of this year’s Stafford Festival Shakespeare production of The Tempest has begun rehearsals ahead of their performances later this month.
The Tempest is being performed in the open-air surroundings of Stafford Castle from June 22 until July 8.
The cast, including former Bill actor Stephen Beckett and Allo Allo star Richard Gibson, will spend three weeks rehearsing with director Clare Prenton.
She said: "There is literally something for everyone in The Tempest - it is a crowd pleasing last hurrah from the master entertainer Shakespeare, which he wrote as his last solo play before retiring to Stratford.
“This year, we decided on a post-colonial take on the story, with Italy colonising Eastern Africa at this time. Initially thinking about the ‘Titanic’ era, I settled on the 1920s/30s as a period of relative stability, before the next storm - Fascism sweeping Europe and later, World War II.
“Myself and the rest of the Creative Team are very pleased to be back in Stafford once again and can’t wait for audiences to see our next production in, as always, the most wonderful of settings at Stafford Castle.”
Acknowledged as Shakespeare’s final solo play, The Tempest is widely celebrated as one of The Bard’s most enchanting works. It follows the story of Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, who becomes stranded on a largely uninhabited island where music, magic and supernatural creatures provide a strange education for him and his young daughter, Miranda. Twelve years pass by and Prospero acquires some basic magic and self-taught mysticism of his own, all the while protecting his daughter from his slave, Caliban.
When Prospero's magic (with the help of his sprite, Ariel) causes a shipwreck, mayhem ensues in the course of one incredible day: Miranda falls in love with the shipwrecked Prince Ferdinand, murder plots are formed then abandoned and finally Prospero is reconciled with the brother who usurped him and all head safely home to Italy.
For the first time in Stafford Shakespeare Festival's history a Sunday performance is taking place on June 25 at 5pm.
Tickets for all performances across June and July are available from the box office 01785 619080 or by visiting www.staffordfestivalshakespeare.com. Prices start at £13.50
