On a magical island, a man named Prospero rules over the spirits. He has been living here in exile with his daughter for twelve years. When the brother who betrayed and exiled him sails past the island, Prospero must use the only chance he may ever have to exact revenge.
STARRING
Gwynneth Bensen……………………...Miranda
Korie Lee Blossey…….…………..…….Caliban
Francesca Caviglia……….………………..Spirit
Tsebiyah Mishael Derry…..………………..Ariel
Alec Gaylord.……..…….…………….Ferdinand
Kristen Lazzarini….….…..Sebastian/Stephano
Rachel Leighson……...…….……………..Spirit
Lucy Livingston……...…….………………Spirit
Clinton Powell……..……….…………..Gonzalo
Brandon Rubin…………….……….….Prospero
Sarah Sirota…………………..Antonio/Trinculo
Amanda Thickpenny…………….……...Alonso
Mal Walton……………...….……………...Spirit
Gwynneth Bensen……………………...Miranda
Korie Lee Blossey…….…………..…….Caliban
Francesca Caviglia……….………………..Spirit
Tsebiyah Mishael Derry…..………………..Ariel
Alec Gaylord.……..…….…………….Ferdinand
Kristen Lazzarini….….…..Sebastian/Stephano
Rachel Leighson……...…….……………..Spirit
Lucy Livingston……...…….………………Spirit
Clinton Powell……..……….…………..Gonzalo
Brandon Rubin…………….……….….Prospero
Sarah Sirota…………………..Antonio/Trinculo
Amanda Thickpenny…………….……...Alonso
Mal Walton……………...….……………...Spirit
Co-Producer Puppets/Effects Set Costumes
Suzu Ledoux Rosalind Lilly Gennie Neuman Lambert Amanda Sharp
Suzu Ledoux Rosalind Lilly Gennie Neuman Lambert Amanda Sharp
The show will last approximately 1hr 30mins without an intermission.
Please feel free to move around the space and get drinks!
WWW.FIRSTDAYPRODUCTIONS.COM
Cast and Crew
Gwynneth Bensen (Miranda)- BFA Acting: Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. NY Theatre: how i learned to become a SUPERHERO (Apothecary Theatre Company), King's River (Foxhole Productions), Bella and the Pool Boy (Apothecary), Things We Want (Turning Brown Productions). Television: The Michael J. Fox Show, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU. Film: Burning Blue, Plastic Jesus.
Korie Lee Blossey (Caliban) was last seen in The Royal Pyrate @ Ars Nova. Some past favorites include Audrey II (voice) “Little Shop”, Dionysus (Cyclops: Rock Opera). I would like to first Thank David Ledoux for having the genius to bring this experience to life! Second to all my friends and family that keep pushing me to follow my dreams. Enjoy The Show!
Francesca Caviglia (Spirit) hails from Glastonbury, Connecticut and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from St. Olaf College where she was a soloist with the acclaimed St. Olaf Choir. She has performed with Nevada Opera, Opera Moderne, and Remarkable Theater Brigade at venues from The Bohemian National Hall to Carnegie Hall. She performs throughout the US and Europe in everything from opera to theater to burlesque and has been hailed for her “pure, clean vocal tone” and “elegant stage presence. www.francesca-caviglia.com
Tsebiyah Mishael Derry (Ariel) is a New York native and graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied theater, history and writing. She received classical training at the British American Drama Academy in London, England. Since then she has had the pleasure of playing The Scottish Play's Lady Macbeth and Othello's Emilia. Recent roles include "Helen Stonor" in Red Monkey Theater Group's adaptation ofSherlock Holmes: Adventures of the Speckled Band, and "Liv," in Everyday Inferno Theater Company's swashbuckling Heart of Oak. Tsebiyah is also singer, writer and new member of Magis Theater Company. Feel free to keep up with Tsebiyah and all her adventures atwww.tsebiyah.com, or on Twitter/Instagram: @Tsmish!
Alec Gaylord (Ferdinand) recently graduated with a BFA in Acting from Rutgers University. Since moving to New York City recent credits include: Henri in The Cutthroat Series: Gore at The Flea Theater, Kevin in the short film Turqoise Mega Fist, and the role of Steven in the upcoming web series 3 guys and A Cup. Alec is also a founding member of The Horde Theater Group based in Los Angeles. He would like to thank his family for all of their support!
Kristen Lazzarini (Sebastian/Stephano) is originally from Fort Collins, CO. She earned her MFA in Acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She has been thrilled to be a part of this production.
Credits include: The title role in Marisol, The Crucible (Elizabeth Procter), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Hermia), The Balcony (Carmen) and Five Flights (Jane) amongst others. Love to Giuseppe for all the unending support.
Credits include: The title role in Marisol, The Crucible (Elizabeth Procter), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Hermia), The Balcony (Carmen) and Five Flights (Jane) amongst others. Love to Giuseppe for all the unending support.
Rachel Leighson (Spirit) is a recent NYC transfer from Oberlin College. She is so excited to be a part of this hilarious ensemble! Rachel is a member of The Actor's Project Off-Broadway Troupe and most recently performed at Don't Tell Mama with Seth Bisen-Hersch and in the Cranky Cabaret. Favorite roles include Maria (West Side Story), Felicity (The Real Inspector Hound), and Hecuba (Trojan Women). She hopes you have a spirit-ual experience here on Prospero's Island!
Lucy Livingston (Spirit) is a recent graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied in the Meisner Studio and at the International Theatre Workshop in Amsterdam. Her recent credits include Playing for Time, Good Breeding, and The Rimers of Eldritch. She is currently working on the US stage premiere of Dogville by Lars von Trier, directed by Robert O'Hara. She is so excited to be working on The Tempest, and thanks David and Suzu for their time, coffee, and tea. Finally, a huge thank you to her friends and family, and cheers to her Peanut in London.
Clinton Powell (Gonzalo)– Clinton graduated from Alfred University with a BA in Theatre and English. Recently, he performed The Broker in Crazy Lady of Chaillot, The Statue in Don Juan in Hell and C. Warren Jennings in Helen of Troy, New York with Medicine Show Theatre and Capulet in Inspecting: Romeo & Juliet with Onomatopoeia Theatre Company. In April, Clinton will be seen as The Logician and Botard in Rhinoceros with Onomatopoeia Theatre Company. Clinton would like to thank his husband David, family, and friends for all their love and support.
Brandon Rubin ( (Prospero)- is a Sacramento, CA native. He is a recent graduate of Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts where he received his MFA. Brandon was last seen in Little Rock at Passage Theatre, which was subsequently followed by a staged reading at NJPAC. Other credits include: Our Town (George Street Playhouse); You Can't Take it With You (Rutgers Theatre Co.); Another Part of the Forest (Rutgers Theatre Co), and Cyrano de Bergerac (Rutgers Theatre Co). He is thrilled to bring this story to life with this wonderful cast and director for his NYC debut!
Sarah Sirota (Antonio/Trinculo)
A New York native, Sarah is thrilled to be apart of this unique theatrical experience with First Day Productions. Sarah was most recently seen playing Maria in the new award-winning musical Zuccotti Park produced by Salgado Productions at the Robert Moss Theater. Sarah's favorite Shakespearean roles include Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Celia in As You Like It and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Check out www.sarahsirota.com to learn more about Sarah and her upcoming projects. Many thanks to David, Suzu, the cast and crew!
A New York native, Sarah is thrilled to be apart of this unique theatrical experience with First Day Productions. Sarah was most recently seen playing Maria in the new award-winning musical Zuccotti Park produced by Salgado Productions at the Robert Moss Theater. Sarah's favorite Shakespearean roles include Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Celia in As You Like It and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Check out www.sarahsirota.com to learn more about Sarah and her upcoming projects. Many thanks to David, Suzu, the cast and crew!
Amanda Thickpenny (Alonso) is thrilled to be shipwrecked with this wonderful cast and crew. Her New York credits include The Pearl Theatre Company, Accidental Shakespeare, Packawallop Productions, and Hip to Hip Theatre Company. Regionally, she has performed with the Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, The Folger, Rorschach Theatre, and toured nationally with Hampstead Stage’s productions of A Christmas Carol and Prince Caspian. Her international credits include Friches Theatre Urbain in Paris, and YouMeBumBumTrain in London. She has done voiceovers for both HowCast.com, and Graphic Audio, which put Marvel and DC comic books on tape. She holds an MA from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. www.amandathickpenny.com.
Mal Walton (Spirit) Mal graduated from SUNY New Paltz in December, 2014 with degrees in Theatre Arts Performance and Biology. She recently performed in John Forslund’s Bitter Bitches cabaret. Other credits include “Hunyak” in the Cider Mill Playhouse’s production of “Chicago.” Mal Walton splits her time working as a performer and as a biologist. She currently works at the Bronx Zoo.
David Ledoux (Director & Producer) David is a director, actor, and educator in New York City. He has worked at such theatres as The McCarter Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, Crossroads Theatre, Vital Theatre, Pulse Theatre, The Jean Cocteau Repertory and Goodspeed Opera House. He has narrated numerous audio books including Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen, and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (Audie Award Winner). As a teaching artist David has worked with students of all ages, in a variety of settings. He has taught at the college level, at theaters, and for in-school residencies using theatre as a tool to supplement a wide array of curriculum. He is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity. David has a BFA in acting from the Purchase College Conservatory of Theatre Arts, and an MFA in directing from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
Suzu Ledoux (Co-Producer) is a theatre teaching artist, creative arts teacher and proud wife and mama to be. She performs Theatre in Education pieces with Capacity Arts and Living Voices bringing hidden histories to life. She also devises and performs original theatre based on social justice issues with Honest Accomplice Theatre, "The Birds and The Bees: Unabridged" is currently touring colleges and universities.
Rosalind Lilly (Puppets/Effects) is a Brooklyn based actor and artist. She has previously built puppets for Blood Potato (Apothecary Theater Company), Alonedom (Rutgers) and with White Bird Theater Company's summer arts program Creative Theatrics. She is a graduate of Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Gennie Neuman Lambert (Scenic Design) is based in the Princeton area. She has worked in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. Her most recent credits include: Repairing A Nation at Crossroads Theatre Company, Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest at Crossroads Theatre Company, Suessical the Musical at Berkshire Theatre Group, Hey Fever at The City College of New York, and Fiddler on the Roof at Minnesota State University Moorhead
Amanda Sharp (Costume Design) Amanda is a graduate of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. She has designed costumes professionally in Philadelphia for several years, and currently creates costumes for the Education Department at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. Amanda is the proud owner of The Costume Scene, a costume shop in Trenton, NJ. It's there that she designs and constructs costumes, styles wigs and applies special effects and beauty makeup. HUGE thanks to David, Suzu, and the cast for welcoming her to such an awesome project and working with such care, dedication and pride. Special thanks to her family for facilitation of travel and time away from the shop, xo. www.thecostumescene.com www.facebook.com/thecostumescene
Director's Note
This production is a stranger in a strange land! We never really rehearsed in this space. We didn't tape out the floors of our rehearsal room with the exact measurements of the venue. We didn't have a chance to check sight lines, or make sure that every little moment of staging is clean and perfect. We are homeless in a way. We will be in a different space, a completely different configuration, every night. Why this madness?
Well first...
I have a romantic notion of how Shakespeare wrote this play, and it is probably completely wrong, but I hold onto it nonetheless. We know it was the last play he wrote by himself before heading into semi-retirement. I like to think that he sat back and looked at the histories, comedies, and tragedies that he wrote and noticed that his plays were from stories and about times in the past. When he realized this, he then (in the very presumptive and naive story in my mind) thought, "I want my last play to look forward. How can I put my finger on what will define the world to come?"
Well, everyone in Shakespeare's day knew of the New World, and there was a recent account of a shipwreck in Bermuda. There were accounts of strange other-races of people living in this newly discovered part of the world.
I think Shakespeare knew that, historically, the struggles between peoples and governments are defined by one constant: man's tendency to dominate others. And so in my little fictional version of how the play was written, Shakespeare said, "This New World is going to be defined by this fact. One group of people dominates and moves another group of people out of their homes."
And so Shakespeare, unwittingly, put his finger on a cycle of oppression that is in essence America's original sin. We moved the Native Americans out of their homes; we built our wealth by subjugating another race of people from another distant land and enslaving them. The cycle that Shakespeare writes about is complex. Prospero cannot easily be defined as a hero or a villain, oppressor or victim. He is both, and all. He, and all of us are a part of a system that demands that one person step on another in order to flourish.
From Columbus discovering the New World, to the civil rights and the counter culture movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s, all the way to today, this phenomenon of domination and oppression is evident throughout our history. We see this issue playing out today particularly in our own gentrifying city. One group of people moves another group out. These people are neither villains nor heroes. They are all just a part of a system. So in this production we have echoes from the past and today.
I firmly believe that as artists we are an oppressed group of people. We are marginalized, looked down on, and the butt of many jokes. Yet, like Prospero, we are a part of this cycle. And so it makes sense to me that a production that deals with the phenomenon of taking over a foreign place, should do just that each night of performance.
So here we are in this lovely space in which this play was not rehearsed. Who produces a play without rehearsing extensively in the exact configuration of the space? This is madness! We have absolutely no business being here. And yet, this production is taking over this space. It is really very much out of place and does not belong, but we will assert our will over it anyway. We have no choice, like Prospero we have no home.
David Ledoux
Ps. I’d like to dedicate this production to my amazing wife, and my soon to be born son.
-an adventurous spirit, a curious mind, a kind heart, relentlessly pursuing-
Well first...
I have a romantic notion of how Shakespeare wrote this play, and it is probably completely wrong, but I hold onto it nonetheless. We know it was the last play he wrote by himself before heading into semi-retirement. I like to think that he sat back and looked at the histories, comedies, and tragedies that he wrote and noticed that his plays were from stories and about times in the past. When he realized this, he then (in the very presumptive and naive story in my mind) thought, "I want my last play to look forward. How can I put my finger on what will define the world to come?"
Well, everyone in Shakespeare's day knew of the New World, and there was a recent account of a shipwreck in Bermuda. There were accounts of strange other-races of people living in this newly discovered part of the world.
I think Shakespeare knew that, historically, the struggles between peoples and governments are defined by one constant: man's tendency to dominate others. And so in my little fictional version of how the play was written, Shakespeare said, "This New World is going to be defined by this fact. One group of people dominates and moves another group of people out of their homes."
And so Shakespeare, unwittingly, put his finger on a cycle of oppression that is in essence America's original sin. We moved the Native Americans out of their homes; we built our wealth by subjugating another race of people from another distant land and enslaving them. The cycle that Shakespeare writes about is complex. Prospero cannot easily be defined as a hero or a villain, oppressor or victim. He is both, and all. He, and all of us are a part of a system that demands that one person step on another in order to flourish.
From Columbus discovering the New World, to the civil rights and the counter culture movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s, all the way to today, this phenomenon of domination and oppression is evident throughout our history. We see this issue playing out today particularly in our own gentrifying city. One group of people moves another group out. These people are neither villains nor heroes. They are all just a part of a system. So in this production we have echoes from the past and today.
I firmly believe that as artists we are an oppressed group of people. We are marginalized, looked down on, and the butt of many jokes. Yet, like Prospero, we are a part of this cycle. And so it makes sense to me that a production that deals with the phenomenon of taking over a foreign place, should do just that each night of performance.
So here we are in this lovely space in which this play was not rehearsed. Who produces a play without rehearsing extensively in the exact configuration of the space? This is madness! We have absolutely no business being here. And yet, this production is taking over this space. It is really very much out of place and does not belong, but we will assert our will over it anyway. We have no choice, like Prospero we have no home.
David Ledoux
Ps. I’d like to dedicate this production to my amazing wife, and my soon to be born son.
-an adventurous spirit, a curious mind, a kind heart, relentlessly pursuing-
SPECIAL THANKS!
Brendon Votipka for dramaturgy assistance
Jess Sommerville for poster/graphic design
Sarah Sirota for driving the set and costumes
Kambri Crews at Q.E.D
Will at the Secret Theatre
Jeremy at Pop Bar
Paula Lopez at Tantra
Tony at Front Toward Enemy
Brendon Votipka for dramaturgy assistance
Jess Sommerville for poster/graphic design
Sarah Sirota for driving the set and costumes
Kambri Crews at Q.E.D
Will at the Secret Theatre
Jeremy at Pop Bar
Paula Lopez at Tantra
Tony at Front Toward Enemy
