AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR
We decided that it would be good to have an interview with the director of the production of The Tempest. The purpose of the interview was to shed some light on different casting and stage production choices and to be able to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of the interpretation of the play that the director wanted to go with. As a viewer, it is important to have a knowledge of the intentions of the director and then it is up to you to decide whether their artistic choices helped to add or detract anything from the play. The director has decided to change up a lot of the play, but at the same time still has managed to stay true to the true essence of the production and still hold onto the original Shakespearean dialogue. By changing subtle things, the director has been able to arguably elevate the play to a production that one has never seen before.
Interviewer: What were your main motivations behind choosing the actors that you did to play each character?
Director: I know that some may be confused by my choices for some of the roles, however, I picked them with good reason. I tried to make the cast more diverse than usual. Not only to reflect the many talents that there are across races but also to hone in on the important theme of colonial power that I wanted to highlight.
Interviewer: It is interesting that you said that. I know that there have been many questions on why you chose a woman to play Prospero and why Miranda is portrayed as mixed race. Was this intentional?
Director: My answer, in short, is both yes and no. I cast Sophie Okenadu as Miranda given that I thought that she was an extraordinary talent. Although she did not have any previous theatre experience, she has proven to be more than capable and had delved into her role. She brings to the role a sense of aloofness and innocence that can be seen within the role of Miranda especially when looking at her portrayal in relation to the text. She is always controlled by her father and arguably can be seen as weak because of this, despite being under the influence of his magical spells. I thought that it would be interesting to cast Miranda as a woman of mixed heritage to show the power that Prospero has over Caliban is also prevalent over his own daughter. Although this point could’ve been proven without the deliberate casting, I thought that it would be interesting to see how it would play out on stage. Tilda Swinton was casted to play Prospero simply because of what she was able to offer for the role. I wanted a strong and dynamic female lead to take on the role, and offer a different spin on the classic tale. Swinton is the perfect mix of powerful, charming and also mysterious and I believe that Prospero embodies all of these characteristics. She is also a mixture of female and androgynous and she goes all into the role.
Interviewer: Were there any reasons why you wanted to change the time when the play was set? Why not stick to the original time period that Shakespeare had it set in?
Director: I wanted to set the play in modern times because I feel like it is more interesting seeing the various power dynamics play out in modern society rather than an old. I feel as though the things that happened in the past would not be tolerated as much by modern society and in turn a modern audience. Things such as the mistreatment of Caliban and the way in which Prospero magically enchants his daughter to gain control over her is unsettling. Unsettling in the sense that it is as if we are looking back on an old story playing out in real time. As if slavery has been placed within modern day society. It almost writes back to past events and I tried to direct it in a way that somehow gives an apology for those tragedies by emphasising the ending. With themes or slavery and confinement, I only found it logical to heighten the theme of forgiveness.
Interviewer: I like that you were bold enough to update it to make it more palatable for modern audiences. You managed to do this while still keeping the original language and that is interesting. For our final question, why did you chose to layout the stage the way that you did?
Director: I wanted to have very vibrant and tropical scenery for my stage setting and props. I wanted there to be a rotating stage so that the actors could easily move from one scene to another without the need for long pauses or set changes. With the actors ready and waiting on the next segment on stage it would allow for the dialogue to flow more easily and the actions to be more smooth as there is less consciousness of when to move from scene to scene and how to end it well. Caliban’s cave was designed to look marshy and watery and so I wanted to have his cave filled with rotting moss, to be quite dark with little to no light protruding through the cave and a large rock to the left-hand side which would serve as his bed. Lighting and scenery are important, however, I wanted to add another dimension to the sensory experience by adding touch and smell. When the shipwreck scenes happen, we make sure to use wind machines and fans closing salt and water mixture into the air. In this way, the audience feels as though they are really in the ocean. For Caliban’s cave, we opted to use fishy or musty smells to emphasise the poor living conditions that he was living in. Lastly, I wanted Prospero’s library to be less dark than I have previously seen it conveyed to be. For example, I opted for her grand bookcase to remain, however, I wanted it to be placed in an old plantation style house with huge windows, columns and painted aqua blue and white. Through the windows, you can also see the ocean. I thought that the house would reflect the power and grandeur that Prospero reflected and exuded to those around her.
Interviewer: I’m excited to see your version of the play on stage and look forward to seeing how the way that you have changed the play appears on stage. Thank you for your time.
