FARMINGTON — Action, music and some stage magic highlight Theatre UMF’s production of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” this week at the University of Maine at Farmington.
A cast of 22 actors take to the stage for performances at 7:30 p.m. March 13, 14 and 15 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, in Alumni Theater at the University of Maine at Farmington.
When theater students wanted to perform a play by Shakespeare, Director Jayne Decker said she chose this one “because of the strong visual environment, use of song and the opportunity to create some stage magic.”
Believed to have been written in 1610-11, the play is set on a remote island where a father, Prospero, plots to restore his daughter Miranda’s position using illusion and manipulation, according to online play descriptions.
A ship wrecked by a tempest-tossed sea lands on the island where father and daughter have been stranded for several years.
The play was cast last fall to allow actors more time with the script. Rehearsals began in January, Decker said.
Daniel Gunn, UMF interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, plays Prospero. Mt. Blue High School French teacher Gordon LePage plays Gonzolo.
Philip Carlsen, UMF composer and professor of music, wrote original music for the production. There are a lot of songs in the script, he said.
Carlsen will play for each performance on a keyboard that produces “a variety of sounds,” he said.
After reading a piece, Carlsen said he gets a feel for it. The rhythm of the words, as in poetry, help create the song, something he has done for other poets on campus.
Scene and lighting design was done by Stan Spilecki and costumes by Elizabeth Dorr, both from the UMF campus, she said.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 students and seniors. To reserve them call 778-7465.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- University of Maine at Farmington student Isabelle Bailey, who plays Miranda in this week’s Theatre UMF production of “The Tempest,” and Daniel Gunn, who plays her father, Prospero, rehearse Thursday in Alumni Theater on campus.
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- Daniel Gunn, left, who plays Prospero in Theater UMF’s production of “The Tempest,” and Austin Hayes, who plays his spirit servant, Ariel, rehearse in Alumni Theater at the University of Maine at Farmington on Thursday.
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- Daniel Gunn, left, who plays Prospero in Theater UMF’s production of “The Tempest,” and Austin Hayes, who plays his spirit servant, Ariel, rehearse in Alumni Theater at the University of Maine at Farmington on Thursday.
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- University of Maine at Farmington student Isabelle Bailey, who plays Miranda in this week’s Theatre UMF production of “The Tempest,” and Daniel Gunn, who plays her father, Prospero, rehearse Thursday in Alumni Theater on campus.
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- University of Maine at Farmington student Isabelle Bailey, who plays Miranda in this week’s Theatre UMF production of “The Tempest,” and Daniel Gunn, who plays her father, Prospero, rehearse Thursday in Alumni Theater on campus.
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- Philip Carlsen, composer and University of Maine at Farmington professor of music, prepares to play music he wrote for Theater UMF’s production of “The Tempest.” The play will be staged at Alumni Theater on the Farmington campus Thursday through Sunday, March 13-16.
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- The cast of Theatre UMF’s production of “The Tempest” listens to technical instructions from Stan Spilecki before rehearsing in Alumni Theater on the Farmington campus Thursday. At far left is director Jayne Decker.
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