September 17, 2013
The Enlightenment Theatre Project Presents A Reading of “The Tempest”
The Enlightenment Theatre Project presents a special staged reading of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at Historic Jamestowne’s Memorial Church at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24. The reading is performed by a cast of six actors who bring the Bard’s text to life and take the audience on a 90-minute journey to a “brave new world.”
Many Shakespearean scholars believe that Shakespeare drew his inspiration for “The Tempest” from the events that transpired when several re-supply ships, bound from England to the Jamestown colony in 1609, encountered a hurricane at sea that separated the fleet. The colony’s secretary, William Strachey, was a passenger on the Sea Venture that wrecked on the uninhabited island of Bermuda after the storm. The survivors eventually reached Virginia after building two small ships during the 10 months they spent in Bermuda. Strachey’s accounts of the incident and the Virginia colony are believed by many to have been the primary source that Shakespeare used to create Prospero’s magical island. For this adaptation of “The Tempest,” Strachey's account of the Bermuda events has been woven into Shakespeare's text, allowing Strachey to comment on the events within the play.
The Enlightenment Theatre Project was founded in 2010 by Erin Sloan and Daniel Crane, graduates of the Academy for Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C. The Enlightenment Theatre Project strives to present classical works in a vibrant and passionate manner while staying true to the texts performed.
Tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased online at www.historicjamestowne.org or at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center fee desk until 4:30 p.m. on the day of the performance. For more information, telephone (757) 229-4497 or visit www.historicjamestowne.org.