Asolo Rep and conservatory adapt Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' for today

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” has been adapted in many forms for stage and screen. Peter Greenway’s “Prospero’s Books” turned it into a post-modern puzzle box. “Forbidden Planet” stole the plot and set it in outer space. The adaptation featured in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s latest New Stages touring production takes a different tack. Shakespeare’s original play was a boy’s club. In this version, most of the characters are female.

This reimagined (and seriously condensed) “Tempest” will breeze through Florida high schools and performing arts venues from Sept. 25 through Nov. 19. We recently talked to Celine Rosenthal about the thinking behind it. She’s the Asolo Rep’s associate artistic director, and she'll direct the play throughout the tour. DeAnna Wright joined the conversation; she’ll be playing Prospera.

“I first saw ‘The Tempest’ at the age of 12, in Stratford on Avon ” Rosenthal says. “I remember thinking, ‘Hey! There’s only one girl and she never gets to talk.’ I always wondered what the play would be like with more powerful female characters on stage.”

Now, Rosenthal finally gets to find out. She’s created the version she once imagined, in collaboration with Tyler Dobrowsky.

“In our adaptation, most of the main characters are now women,” she says. “Prospero becomes Prospera; Alonso becomes Alonsa. The genderless Ariel is played by a female actor. We’ll have a female Caliban, as well.”

Gender-reversals aside, this is still the story of political refugees. Antonio strips his sister, Prospera, of power, and he puts Alonsa on the throne of Milan. Prospera flees to a seemingly deserted island with Miranda, her daughter. Prospera’s political power is gone, but her magic remains strong. As luck would have it, she spies her enemies’ ship sailing by one day. She conjures a storm and a shipwreck to strand her foes on the island. Revenge is Prospera’s simple plan. But in the world according to Shakespeare, things are never simple.

“Shakespeare wrote ‘The Tempest’ just after a royal transition of power,” Rosenthal says. “Queen Elizabeth’s reign was over; the reign of King James had begun. A man had just replaced a woman on the throne, and that had far-reaching repercussions in English society and art. By setting the story on a magical island, Shakespeare was able to openly wrestle with some of the political topics of the day.”

Rosenthal adds that turning Prospero into Prospera puts the question of power in a new light.

“She’s now a woman in power who’s seeking knowledge and truth,” she says. "I’ve found some men react to that pursuit with fear. Prospera’s brother is no exception.”

Antonio remains a man in this adaptation. As deeply as he resents his sister, he resents Queen Alonsa even more. (His reward for betraying Prospera is working for a female boss — and he hates it.) Now that Antonio’s stuck on an uncharted island with Alonsa, he’s seriously thinking about murdering her and claiming the throne of Milan for himself.

“Antonio makes a bitter speech about his ‘rightful place,’” says Rosenthal. “In context, he clearly hates taking orders from a woman. After usurping the power of one woman, he’s ready to do the same to another.”

Wright scoffs and shakes her head in recognition. 

“In my experience, male fear of female power is very true to life,” says Wright. “I always want to ask, ‘Why are you so scared of? What have you got to lose if a woman takes charge? Women are innately nurturing. Are you afraid more folks will be taken care of?’”

What does Wright think about her character?

“Playing Prospera is so much fun,” she smiles. “I dig her power. I dig her magic.”

Today, that sounds like fantasy. But in Shakespeare’s time, most people believed in the reality of magic. Including the newly installed king.

“King James IV was preoccupied with the evils of magic,” explains Rosenthal. “He even wrote a book on the subject, ‘Daemonologie’ — a kind of manual for persecuting ‘witches’ in a ‘Christian’ society.”

“The magical elements in ‘The Tempest’ fascinate me,” she adds. “The fear of magic seems tied up with the fear of women. I really wanted to explore that.”

Shakespeare’s magic will come to life, thanks to a combined cast of third-year student actors from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training and performers from the Asolo Rep troupe. What’s the point of their road show?

“Essentially, we’re providing a gateway drug to Shakespeare,” laughs Rosenthal. “We want to get kids hooked — in a good way.”

There’s learning involved, too. The touring production will provide classroom study guides. Each performance will also have a post-show discussion. Students can question the actors. (If not, the actors will question them.) Some classrooms will also study Shakespeare’s original text. But it’s not a requirement.

What conclusions should students draw after seeing the play?  Rosenthal says that's up to them.

“We’ll be providing academic resources, yes," Rosenthal says. "But we don’t want to spoon-feed them the “right” answers. Some might think the gender-shift changes everything. Some might not. What’s important to me are the conversations that our production provokes.”

Rosenthal and Dobrowsky’s adaptation isn’t meant to be an academic exercise. They designed it to be fun and accessible to students at all levels. And they don’t have to do their homework to enjoy it.

“Ideally, you can enjoy our adaptation no matter who you are,” she says. “My goal is that even students with no prior knowledge of Shakespeare can watch the play, understand the plot, be engaged, laugh and be emotionally moved. We want it to be entertaining, not a lecture in disguise.”

When it comes to entertainment value, “The Tempest” has a lot going for it, including fascinating characters, political intrigue and deep magic. The tone walks the line between the playful and the awesome — in the original sense.

“We open with a storm,” says Rosenthal. “A violent demonstration of nature’s power is a great beginning; you’re instantly hooked.”

Speaking of which, it seems like an odd coincidence to be doing "The Tempest" during hurricane season. Has anyone noticed?

Rosenthal and Wright simultaneously rap the wooden table.

“Yes, we definitely noticed,” laughs Rosenthal. “It stormed every night during last week’s rehearsals. The lightning and thunder were intense! Sometimes, we couldn’t tell the difference between reality and our sound cues. Hopefully, life won’t imitate art when we take it on the road.”