Director's Notes

      I never fully appreciated Shakespeare's language until I heard it spoken aloud by actors, not once but many times over. I was designing props for As You Like It. After attending numerous rehearsals, I found the words flowing through my brain at odd times of the day. I was struck by their eloquence, rhythms and poetry. Readings in high school never brought forth these qualities the way actors can. I wished more people could have that same experience of Shakespeare, the first time they met him. Well, now they can, thanks to the vision of one Peter Pressman.     

    When Peter asked me to direct the first production for Speak-the-Speech, I thought of The Tempest. What audio theater person could resist a piece that starts with a thunder storm? The more I thought about Tempest, with its references to the strange, sweet sounds of the isle, its haunting songs and magical images, the more I wanted to do it. "But there's all that dull exposition at the beginning!" some folks said. Yet, as I looked at Prospero's speech detailing the events of his life, I discovered a complex journey filled with textual twists and turns indicating a man faced with 12 years of pent up emotion. In an audio format, when all the audience has are the words, we hang on his speech just as Miranda does, as she learns for the first time the truth of her origins.

    Working on this production has joyfully plunged me into the power and poetry of Shakespeare's words. Too often, a director can get sidetracked by staging and miss small but wonderful insights. In the auditory realm, you find yourself looking at Shakespeare's words the way Georgia O'Keefe looked at flowers - up close in all their complexity and depth. You notice repeating themes and relationships; you find the rhythms pointing your way, you hear an emotion underscored by a change in meter, you stumble upon contrasting images that emphasize key themes. Suffice it to say that such intensive immersion has caused me to fall in love with Shakespeare's language all over again. I humbly hope that it will do the same for you.

Synopsis

       The play begins on a ship returning to Italy from a royal wedding between an African prince and Claribel, daughter to Alonso, the king of Naples. The ship carries King Alonso, his son Ferdinand, his brother Sebastian, their friend and ruler of Milan Antonio, the counselor Gonzalo, Stephano the butler and Trinculo the jester. Their boat is caught in a violent tempest, and as the ship sinks, the royal passengers are plunged into the Mediterranean Sea.
      On a nearby island, a fifteen-year-old girl named Miranda has seen the ship split apart. In horror, Miranda turns to her father Prospero, a powerful magician, who assures her that all is well. Prospero explains that twelve years ago, he was duke of Milan, until Antonio made an agreement with Alonso to overthrow him. This was done by kidnapping Prospero and the young Miranda and setting them to sea on a rotten boat. Miraculously, they ended up landing on this island, where they have lived ever since.
      With his powers, Prospero discovered that his enemies were near his island, and conjured the tempest to deposit them safely on shore. After explaining this to Miranda, he uses his magic to put her to sleep while he discusses the tempest with his servant Ariel, a spirit whom Prospero freed from a curse placed by Sycorax, a witch who ruled the island before Prospero arrived and defeated her. Ariel reports that all was done according to Prospero's wishes, and asks when she will be set free. Prospero becomes angry at this and reminds Ariel of her debt to him, and threatens to trap her in a tree as Sycorax had done. Ariel becomes compliant, and follows Prospero's next orders.
     When this is done, Prospero wakes Miranda. Together they visit Caliban, son of Sycorax and now slave of Prospero. It is clear that there is no love of between Caliban and the others, since he once tried to rape Miranda. After curses and threats are exchanged, Caliban is sent to gather firewood.
      Ariel returns, having charmed Prince Ferdinand into following her. Miranda is awe struck: the only humans she remembers seeing is herself, Prospero, and Caliban (though it is unclear whether or not he really counts). Ferdinand falls in love with Miranda at first sight. However, Prospero intervenes, and treats Ferdinand severely, forcing him to do manual labor "lest too light winning make the prize light."
     Meanwhile, Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, Antonio, and Adrian (another lord) have washed ashore and are searching for Ferdinand. Ariel finds them, and puts all to sleep except for Antonio and Sebastian. While the others sleep, these two lords plot to kill the King and Gonzalo, so that Sebastian can take his brother's place as King of Naples, since they believe Ferdinand to be dead. Before they can kill anyone, however, Ariel wakes the others up, and the group continues to press on in hope of finding Ferdinand alive.
     Elsewhere on the island, Caliban sees the court jester Trinculo, who swam to shore after the ship sank. Caliban falls to the ground in fear, believing Trinculo to be one of Prospero's spirits come to punish him for not bringing wood quickly enough. Trinculo sees Caliban, and thinks he is an islander killed in the storm. Fearing the storm is returning, Trinculo takes shelter under Caliban's cloak. Along comes Stephano, the drunken butler, who thinks he is seeing a monster with four legs. This is soon sorted out, though, and Stephano shares his liquor with both Trinculo and Caliban. Delighted by the liquor, Caliban offers to serve Stephano instead of Prospero, and so they all head off together.
     The scene changes back to Ferdinand, who is moving piles of logs for Prospero. Miranda comes to speak with him, and they both profess their love for one another, and agree to get married.
     The scene switches back to Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo wandering the island in a drunken stupor. Caliban talks Stephano into agreeing to kill Prospero and take command of the island. Unfortunately for them, invisible Ariel has heard their discussion, and leads them on a wild goose chase.
    Meanwhile, the court of Alonso finds a banquet table, presented by fairies and other magical creatures. When they try to eat it, Ariel appears as a harpy and tells Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian that they will suffer for what they did to Prospero. Ariel and the table then vanish, leaving Alonso distraught.
    Back at Prospero's cell, the magician presents the lovers with a performance of spirits, who act out the parts of Greco-Roman goddesses. As the performance ends, Prospero suddenly remembers that he must deal with Caliban's plot to murder him. He stands up in a fury, and with Ariel's help sets out a line of fancy clothes to lure the three conspirators into a magical trap. When Stephano and Trinculo put the clothes on, they are chased away by snarling magical hounds.
    Ariel then brings Alonso, Antonio, Gonzalo and Sebastian, all raving with magical enchantments, to Prospero. One by one, he frees them from their enchantments. Prospero forgives them all for their past transgressions against him, and furthermore reveals that Ferdinand is alive and will soon marry Prospero's daughter. He also reconnects them with Stephano and Trinculo. Finally, with his dukedom reclaimed, Prospero sets Ariel free, and forswears his practice of magic

Biographies

Cynthia J. McGean (Director): Cynthia McGean is a published writer, director, actress, social service veteran and educator. Her directing credits include several pieces for Willamette Radio Workshop's Murder of Crows, The Yellow Wallpaper and an annual touring rendition of A Christmas Carol for the Shakespeare Martyr Complex, The Secret Garden for the Northwest Children's Theatre, Taming of the Shrew for Shakespeare in the Park, The Monkey King for Tears of Joy and Marvin's Room for Tapestry Theatre. An award-winning playwright, she has written scripts for traditional stage productions, readers theater, puppetry and audio theater. Henry and Ramona, her adaptation of Beverly Cleary's beloved stories, has been produced at theaters throughout the United States and her original script, Perseus, Hero of Ancient Greece, is currently on tour with Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre. Willamette Radio Workshop has produced her original scripts Call of the Mummy and Meditations of a Gargoyle (broadcast on KBOO), The Truth About the White Eagle and Can You Hear Me Now?, along with her radio theater adaptations of Around the World in Eighty Days and The Hobbit. Cynthia's writing talents extend to grantwriting, short stories and a stint as a critic for the Willamette Week. This summer, she will be leading an audio theater writers' workshop for WRW. Cynthia has also acted in numerous theatrical productions, as well as WRW's Murder of Crows, Miracle on 34th Street, Hobbit's Greatest Hits, Silent Avenger and Christmas Carol. She is proud to be part of Speak the Speech's maiden voyage.

Jesse Smith (Stage Manager) : Jesse Smith earned a B.A. in Communications and Theater from Lewis & Clark College, where he worked in a technical capacity on a number of productions. He has extensive experience in all areas of technical theater, from lighting and sound design to set construction to stage management. He has worked as a freelance technical consultant and as Lighting Director for Peter Corvallis Productions in Portland, where he was responsible for lighting numerous events including two presidential appearances, and Intel’s corporate events. He has served as technical director for several productions at the CoHo Theater, in addition to working in various technical positions for professional Portland theater companies such as Lakewood Theatre Co. and Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company.

Rob Kowal (Audio Engineer): Robert A. Kowal is a New York University graduate holding a B.F.A. degree in Film & Television with twelve years vocational experience in both creative and technical capacities. As the sole Proprietor of A Priori, specializing in audio his clients have included ABC News, CBS News, Tokyo Broadcasting System, KHET-TV Asia Now, National Geographic Television, PBS ANoble Legacy@, A La Carte Communications Julia Child - Cooking with Master Chefs, PBS AScientific American Frontiers. His proficiencies include audio equipment, synchronous location recording, sound editing and mixing, as well as being fully competent with broadcast video and editing equipment including the Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools.

Ildiko Arndt (Graphic designer): Ildiko has designed promotional materials for productions such as Joe Orton's Loot, Jeffrey Hatcher's Smash, Brian Friel's A Month in the Country after Turgenev, and Sondheim's Into the Woods. She has a B.A. in Communication from Lewis & Clark College, and J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law. She is happy to be assisting Speak the Speech.

Peter Armetta (Composer): Peter is an actor/playwright/composer whose scores, both synthesized and live, for Oregon theatre productions include The Tempest and Twelfth Night among many others. As a composer, Peter wrote the original score used during Fahrenheit 451, which was produced earlier this year by The Rep and the MHCC Theatre Arts Department. Mt. Hood Repertary Theatre goers will remember Peter for his performance in The Bickersons: The Honeymoon is Over during last year's Sunday Night By the Philco. He has appeared in The Rep's productions of The Man who Came to Dinner, A Thurber Carnival, and 2002's Mt. Hood Radio Theatre.

Greg Alexander (Alonso): Audio Sonnet
The Tempest marks Greg's debut in audio theater, although he spent three years as Jefferson Public Radio's news correspondent in Coos Bay. A relative newcomer to Portland, he has acted in professional and non-professional productions for more than 25 years, in Michigan, California, Mississippi, and Oregon. His credits include Midsummer Night's Dream, Voodoo Macbeth, The Rover, Art, The Mystery of Irma Vep, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Three Cuckolds. Among his favorite roles are the Wolf/Prince in Into the Woods and Ronnie in House of Blue Leaves. Greg has also done two national tours, including a stint wearing a foam rubber muscle suit for Michael Jackson's Victory Tour in 1984. Working with the Speak-the-Speech Tempest cast was a wonderful, all too short experience he hopes to repeat some day soon.

Peter Pressman (Executive Producer, Sebastian): Audio Sonnet
Peter's acting credits include Orsino in Twelfth Night, Arkady in A Month in the Country after Turgenev, the Policeman in Blood on the Cat's Neck, Epihodov in The Cherry Orchard and the Baker in Into the Woods. While studying overseas in London, he performed in Feathers and 24 Hours with Stanislavski. His roles for children's theatre include Pinocchio with Other Hand Productions, Don Quixote for the Miracle Theatre, and Doctor Petri Chaos for Mad Science of Portland and Vancouver. His commercial experience includes playing a corpse for a Don't Drink and Drive campaign in Idaho. He enjoyed working with the talented cast of The Tempest, and he looks forward to Speak the Speech's future productions.

Chris Porter (Prospero): Chris Porter has been performing around Portland for the last 25 years. A brief sampling of past roles, in no particular order: Bogey in Play It Again Sam, various roles in Edward II, Claudius in Hamlet, Teddy in Arsenic and Old Lace, Fluellen in Henry V, Dr. Wally in Marvin's Room, Feste in Twelfth Night, The Chaplain in The Lady's Not For Burning, Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, and Mr. Smee in Peter Pan. This long, strange career also includes appearances as Dr. Watson, Sitting Bull, the Sultan of Bashir, and Major Siegfried von Konigswald the Beast of Yugoslavia. Mr. Porter is a voiceover talent and a founding member of both the Shakespeare Martyr Complex and the Willamette Radio Workshop. He can be heard as "Odraythius", among other characters, in the sci-fi/noir series Dry Smoke & Whispers on XM Satellite Radio.

Ethan Atkinson (Antonio): Audio Sonnet
Ethan Atkinson is a member of the Northwest Classical theatre company. He appeared in his first independent film recently, The Broadcast, and will begin shooting another later this year. He has enjoyed working with everyone in The Tempest immensely.

Cary Clarke (Ferdinand):
Biography coming soon...

Linda Goertz (Gonzalo, Iris): Audio Sonnet
Linda Goertz has been hanging around Portland theatre for the past three decades. Some of her favorite roles include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Julia in The Cocktail Party, the wicked Queen in Pericles, and a gaggle of characters from The Brothers Grimm, including an equally wicked Stepmother, a Boy Who Wanted to Study Fear, and an ill-fated chicken. A writer as well as actor, Linda is delighted to hear Gonzalo referred to as an "ancient morsel," and hopes that she herself will be doddering along with Mr. Shakespeare for some time to come.

Sam A. Mowry (Caliban, Audio Consultant): Audio Sonnet
An award winning actor and a director for the last 23 years, Sam's career runs the gamut, from Lennie in Of Mice and Men for the Columbia Theater to Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew for Shakespeare in the Parks, other favorites from over 100 possibilities include: Cadmus in The Bacchae, Henry VIII in W. S. Gregory's Mary Tudor, Buddy in Dmae Roberts' Breaking Glass, Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, Dr. Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Vachel Lindsey in Sue Machâ's Monograms, Macbeth, Richard in The Lion in Winter, James Leeds in Children of a Lesser God (KKSN Award of Theater Excellence) and Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. Sam is a popular Voice Over talent with clients including, The Steinbeck Center, Columbia Maritime Museum, The Discovery Channel, The Lincoln Museum, Parker Furniture, Will Vinton, Shari's Restaurants, McCormick and Schmicks, Oregon Department of Transportation, LazerQuick, ADP, KMTR, NMC Sharp, Willamette Week, Intel, The Oregonian, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Cellular One, GI Joes, and Adidas.

Bill Barry (Trinculo, Adrian): Audio Sonnet
William has been an active member in Portland theater for the past 12 years as an actor, director, writer and producer. A graduate of Portland State University with a degree in Theater Arts, he has participated in a wide variety of performance styles including improvisational and sketch comedy, modern dance, contemporary theater, radio theater and of course, Shakespeare. Some of his most memorable roles have been as Hugh Houghtontot in The Really BIG Dance Company's Pirate Show, Touchstone in Quintessence Theater's As You Like It, Bob in 23 Production's In Vain, Blandsworth/McSmogg in Miss Nelson is Missing and Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol for the Northwest Children's Theatre and now, Trinculo in The Tempest for Speak the Speech. Mr. Barry also is the Artistic Director for his own theatre company, Six on Shakespeare, who has produced such plays as Hamlet, the Vampire Slayer and The Comedic Tragedy of Macbeth.

Phillip A. Rudolph (Stephano): Audio Sonnet
A long time Portland area actor, Phil has also preformed in Texas and Southern California. He has radio and stage history, and would like to expand his scope. Phil thanks his Mother for his love of the written word, and his wife, Becky, for the forbearance to put up with his sillyness.

Holly Spencer (Miranda): Audio Sonnet
Holly Spencer was last seen as Allison in Mall America (Coho Theatre), and Zoe in Flesh and Blood. She has toured with the National Shakespeare Company (NYC) as Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Rosalind (As You Like It). Other Shakespeare favoriates include Adriana (Comedy of Errors), Ariel (The Tempest), both with Shakespeare on the Hudson (NYC). She has been in many Indie films and local commercials.

Megan Kohl (Ariel, Juno): This is Megan’s first foray into the world of audio theater and she is delighted to be a part of this project. She is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College, where she studied Theater and Dance and managed to graduate with a degree in Biology. Theater credits include: the Sorceress, Cat and Narrator in A Grimm Look: Ten Authentic Tales, Giuliano in Charles Mee’s Big Love, Natalya in Brian Friel’s A Month in the Country after Turgenev, Viola in Twelfth Night, Venus in Brighde Mullins Pathological Venus, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Film credits include: Emily in the original pop opera The Showering Dragons by The Badger King and Reed Harkness for the PICA TBA Festival, and featured extra, stand-in and photo double for Charlize Theron in Men of Honor. She would like to thank her family and her friends for their continued support and encouragement.

Allison Anderson (Master of a Ship, Ceres): In a previous life, Allison Anderson was a founding member of the Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company. Favorite roles from that time include Ophelia in Hamlet, Joan la Pucelle (Joan of Arc) in Henry VI, Trincula (sic) in Tempest and Adriana in Comedy of Errors. In addition to her work with Tygres Heart, she's done a variety of corporate and educational voice over work.

Acknowledgements

The Willamette Radio Workshop,  CoHo Productions, Jan Powell, Keith Scales,
Gwynne Allyn Warner: The Invisible Actor Training, Edgar Reynolds, Kate Hawkes: The Well Arts Institute, Anna Salim,
Elizabeth Corbridge, Eli Madrone, Julianna Chase, Richard Hegdahl, and Warren Murray

	In which the King's company is shipwrecked on an island controlled by Prospero, the right Duke of Milan, whom they betrayed.
	In which plots are laid against the King, lovers are tested, and a monster is intoxicated by drunkards.
	In which the lovers agree to marry, drunkards plot to overthrow Prospero, and the King and company are driven mad by spirits.
	In which Prospero uses his magic to create a spectacle for the lovers, and so is reminded of his mortality, and ensnares those who have plotted against him.
	In which all is made right again.

Click here to download the One hour "Mini Tempest"

Click on "Text" for the annotated text that you can read along with.