Annapolis Shakespeare presents THE TEMPEST at the Bowie Playhouse

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - July 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Annapolis Shakespeare Company (ASC) will present William Shakespeare’s romantic tragi-comedy The Tempest at the Bowie Playhouse from August 1-17, 2014. The production is directed by guest director Jay D. Brock. Featured in the cast are Brian MacDonald as Prospero*, Alex Zavistovich as Caliban, David Mavricos  as Ferdinand, and Jenny Donovan as Miranda.

A story of shipwreck and magic, The Tempest begins on a ship caught in a violent storm with Alonso, the king of Naples, on board. On a nearby island, the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, tells his daughter, Miranda, that he has caused the storm with his magical powers. Prospero had been banished twelve years earlier when Prospero’s brother, Antonio—also on the doomed ship—conspired with Alonso to become the duke instead. Prospero and Miranda are served by a spirit named Ariel and by Caliban, son of the island’s previous inhabitant, the witch Sycorax.

On the island, castaways from the wreck begin to appear. First is Alonso’s son Ferdinand, who immediately falls in love with Miranda. Prospero secretly approves of their love, but tests the pair by enslaving Ferdinand. After secretly watching Miranda and Ferdinand exchange vows, Prospero releases Ferdinand and consents to their marriage.

Other castaways who appear are Trinculo and Stephano, Alonso’s jester and butler, who join forces with Caliban to kill Prospero and take over the island. The nobles from the ship search for Ferdinand and are confronted with a spectacle including a Harpy, who convinces Alonso that Ferdinand’s death is retribution for Prospero’s exile.

Having all his enemies under his control, Prospero decides to forgive them. Alonso, joyously reunited with his son, restores Prospero to the dukedom of Milan and welcomes Miranda as Ferdinand’s wife. As all except Caliban and Ariel prepare to leave the island, Prospero, who has given up his magic, bids farewell to the island and the audience.

The creative team includes director Jay D. Brock; choreographer Sally Boyett; sound designer Gregg Martin; scenic designer Andrew Cohen; lighting designer Catherine Girardi; and costume designer Maggie Cason.

Jay D. Brock (Director) is a critically acclaimed award winning director of over 50 productions spanning coast to coast. Recent credits include the regional premiere of Sisters of Swing with NYC's Infinity Theatre Company, the world premier of the fully orchestrated version of Songs for a New World conducted by composer Jason Robert Brown, and the regional premiere of F#@king Up Everything produced by Off the Leash Productions/New Musical Foundation at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.  Regional credits: Dance for Her (Pasadena Playhouse 2nd Stage); Pippin, East of the Sun and West of the Moon (Imagination Stage); Life in Death (The Kennedy Center); West Side Story (Riverside Theatre Center); The Rocky Horror Show (The Washington Savoyards); Normal (Molotov Theatre Group); In the Beginning (The Fibonacci Center); After Hours in the Whale Room (Dana Point Theatre Company); Souvenir, The Last Five Years, Do I Hear a Waltz (1st Stage); Zeno's World (Ensemble Theatre); Naughty Marietta (Opera AACC);  Closer Than Ever (Limelight Theatre); When the Stars Go Out (Bright Alchemy Theatre Company); Tango!Tango! (Opera Aurora); Ubu Roi (Journeymen Theatre); Padrevia, Dido & Aeneas, Signor Deluso, The Women, Magnum Opus (Opera Alterna); Eleemosynary (Boo Box Productions).  Jay is a member of the full-time acting/directing faculty in The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America.  University credits: Sweet Charity, The Pajama Game, Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Drowsy Chaperone, Cabaret, Suor Angelica, La Voix Humaine, The Serpent Woman, The Magic Flute, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, Trouble in Tahiti, The Medium, In Good King Charles' Golden Days, and The Frogs. Jay has additional directing credits with Folger Theatre, Synetic Theatre, The Los Angeles Theatre Center, The Geffen Playhouse, Theatre J, and Anteus Classical Theatre Ensemble and is currently an associate member of SDC. jaydavidbrock.com (http://www.jaydavidbrock.com/).

The Tempest will be presented at the Bowie Playhouse in White Marsh Park (16500 White Marsh Park Drive, Bowie, MD 20715) from Friday, August 1st thru Sunday, August 17th. Evening performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm.  Matinees are Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm. Tickets are $22-$30 with discounts for students and seniors. For tickets and information call the ASC Box Office at (410) 415-3513 or online at www.AnnapolisShakespeare.org.

The Annapolis Shakespeare Company is the foremost professional theatre company in Annapolis, MD and the surrounding area dedicated to producing Shakespeare and the classics.  ASC’s mission is to produce bold, re-imagined, entertaining and accessible interpretations of classical and contemporary plays and musicals with a core commitment to the works of Shakespeare and other major dramatists.  They are committed to promoting the highest level of artistic excellence, to cultivating the widest possible audience and to contributing to the economic and cultural growth of our community, state and region through the professional theatre experience, educational artist-in-residence programs, their pre-professional training and internship programs, and their professional apprentice program. The Annapolis Shakespeare Company enriches the human community through the revelation of beauty and the illumination of fundamental truths of human experience.

The company will present Shakespeare’s Macbeth, October 24-November 23, 2014.  The production will be directed by ASC's founding artistic director Sally Boyett with assistance from resident vocal coach Nancy Krebs and fight choreographer Amy Pastoor.  Annapolis Shakespeare Company is a proud member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association, an international association of theaters dedicated to producing Shakespeare’s work.

*Appearing Courtesy of Actors Equity.