Tickets on sale for West Suffolk College’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, staged in Bury St Edmunds
A new production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest will blast off next week.
Conservatoire EAST, the performing arts department at West Suffolk College, is staging an adaptation of the classic tale of betrayal retold in a science-fiction future.
The show is being performed in Bury St Edmunds, at the college, over four days next week, from April 30 to May 3.
The play has been adapted by director Erica Dupuy, head of performing arts and music for Eastern Education Group, who hopes this new take will attract new audiences to The Bard’s work.
Erica said: “The wonderful thing about Shakespeare is you can find ways of updating what he created - and the plot still works because it’s all about the characters and the text.
“That’s where the fun is. I’m sure that there are purists who are going to be irked, but Shakespeare himself was such a trailblazer, I think he’d love it.”
The story has been abridged but is still using Shakespeare’s original language.
The plot is about a magician called Prospero who goes to live on an island after being betrayed by her brother. When her enemies’ ship comes into view, Prospero ensures that its inhabitants are beamed aboard her ship The Island to take revenge.
Lorna Ferguson, 17, of Great Saxham, near Bury, plays Prospero’s daughter Miranda and can’t wait to be part of a production.
Lorna said: “It's really great to be a part of something that feels so original and different, while at the same time it is teaching us classical acting. Being in this show has been incredibly exciting.”
Ashley Bell, 16, of Beck Row, near Mildenhall, is one of four students playing the role of Ariel. Ashley said: “The character is a spirit and the four of us represent the four elements - earth, air, fire and water.
“It feels good to be part of a team playing the same role and I think having four of us adds to the ethereal quality of the character.
“The show is really exciting because there is music, multimedia, pyros - it’s got everything. I guess the fact that it is set in space means you could say it will be out of this world.”
To purchase tickets, see here.
