Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in Eisenhower Park (August 1st)
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The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nancy A. Herman
Performances: Aug 1st and Aug 2nd 2026 Curtain at 5pm Park Opens 4pm
Rain Dates: Aug 8, 9 2026 Curtain at 5pm Park Opens 4pm
About the Show
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest (bad storm), the rest of the story is set on a remote island, where Prospero, a magician, lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants: Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit. The play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island. It explores many themes, including magic, betrayal, revenge, forgiveness and family. In Act IV, a wedding masque serves as a play-within-a-play, and contributes spectacle, allegory, and elevated language.
Although The Tempest is listed in the First Folio as the first of Shakespeare’s comedies, it deals with both tragic and comic themes, and modern criticism has created the category of late romance for this and others of Shakespeare’s later plays. The Tempest has been widely interpreted in later centuries. Its central character Prospero has been identified with Shakespeare, with Prospero’s renunciation of magic signaling Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage. It has also been seen as an allegory of Europeans colonizing foreign lands.
The play has had a varied afterlife, inspiring artists in many nations and cultures, on stage and screen, in literature, music (especially opera), and the visual arts.
*****
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Leslie Abbatiello
PRODUCER: Don Rowe
STAGE MANAGER: Geoff Byrne
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nancy A. Herman
Performances: Aug 1st and Aug 2nd 2026 Curtain at 5pm Park Opens 4pm
Rain Dates: Aug 8, 9 2026 Curtain at 5pm Park Opens 4pm
About the Show
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest (bad storm), the rest of the story is set on a remote island, where Prospero, a magician, lives with his daughter Miranda, and his two servants: Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit. The play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island. It explores many themes, including magic, betrayal, revenge, forgiveness and family. In Act IV, a wedding masque serves as a play-within-a-play, and contributes spectacle, allegory, and elevated language.
Although The Tempest is listed in the First Folio as the first of Shakespeare’s comedies, it deals with both tragic and comic themes, and modern criticism has created the category of late romance for this and others of Shakespeare’s later plays. The Tempest has been widely interpreted in later centuries. Its central character Prospero has been identified with Shakespeare, with Prospero’s renunciation of magic signaling Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage. It has also been seen as an allegory of Europeans colonizing foreign lands.
The play has had a varied afterlife, inspiring artists in many nations and cultures, on stage and screen, in literature, music (especially opera), and the visual arts.
*****
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Leslie Abbatiello
PRODUCER: Don Rowe
STAGE MANAGER: Geoff Byrne
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Where is it happening?
Milford Arts Council, the MAC 40 Railroad Ave S., Milford, CT, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherMilford Arts Council, the MAC
