Performance analysis
There are many different ways to interpret and perform Shakespeare’s plays. Watch the videos and decide how you would perform the three scenes from The Tempest.
Scenes to explore
The Tempest with its sea storm, shipwreck, monsters and aerial spirits, is an exciting and often tricky play to stage. Modern special effects mean that convincing scenes can be created. But think about the limited props, lighting and costumes that acting troops would have had access to. How would the banquet scene be presented differently then and now?
Nowadays, Shakespeare’s plays are interpreted in many different ways on stage and screen. Directors and their production teams make choices on how they want to stage the play and how the characters will deliver their lines. The decisions they make can often change how the audience think and feel about the play and the characters in it.
Let’s look at three scenes and explore the possibilities for an exciting and unforgettable performance of The Tempest:
- Act 1 Scene 1 - The storm
- Act 2 Scene 2 - Casting Caliban
- Act 3 Scene 3 - The banquet
Act 1 Scene 1 – The storm
This play opens with a dramatic storm at sea. In Act 1 Scene 1, a ship carrying the King of Naples and other noblemen is wrecked.
'The Tempest' - How would you stage the storm at sea?
TITLE:
THE BIG SCENE
PRESENTER
Hello and welcome to The Big Scene. We’re at rehearsals for
[CAPTION-THE TEMPEST] The Tempest. It’s Act One, Scene One; [CAPTION-ACT 1 SCENE1] one of the toughest opening fixtures in any production. The challenge facing the [CAPTION-DIRECTOR] director is to convincingly create a ship in a storm on the stage.
There are many options but will any of them actually look any good? It’s a tough ask but will he pull it off on this team’s budget?
TITLE.THE BIG SCENE
DIRECTOR
Start with the fingers.
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
And they’ve come flying out of the traps with a classic sound scape. They’re really working as a team. Great formation. It’s cheap but impressive. A bit like me. But wait Who’s doing the acting? They’ve been left completely exposed stage right.
Great effort with the human storm but they simply don’t have the squad to pull it off.
PRESENTER
And he knows it. Oh dear, dear me. It’s back to basics lads.
TITLE.THE BIG SCENE
BOATSWAIN
A plague upon the howling. It is louder than the weather or our office.
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
Aha, but maybe not that basic guys. They are putting in one hell of a performance but without any kind of storm to back it up, I’m not sure the audience is going to get behind them.
TITLE.THE BIG SCENE
BOATSWAIN
Yet again what do you here? Shall we go and drown?
PRESENTER
I couldn’t have put it better myself. Well I probably could have actually because I’m known as something of a wordsmith. But that’s not the point. These boys are drowning out there! He’s got to change something and fast!
TITLE.
THE BIG SCENE
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
He’s asking a lot of his team here but looks like they’re stepping up to the plate.
MASTER
Boatswain!
BOATSWAIN
Here Master. What cheer?
MASTER
Good, speak to the mariners. Fall to it yarely. Unless we run ourselves aground…
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
Oh dear. This idiot’s gone and spoilt it for everyone. What a pity.
TITLE.THE BIG SCENE
Oh yes and now they’re finding their feet. It’s about all the elements, the performance, the lighting and the sound working together to make this a storm to remember.
MASTER
Boatswain!
BOATSWAIN
Here Master. What cheer?
MASTER
Good, speak to the mariners. Fall to it yarely and if we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
Oh but look here. This guy still wants more out of his players. He’s not going to be happy with anything less than 110 percent. Neither will the audience. There’s another twist in this scene yet.
GONZALO
The wills above be done! But I would fain die a dry death.
DIRECTOR
That’s it. Yeah. Now you’re getting it.
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
Oh and he is not happy with the boss’ decision. Surely he went too far.
PRESENTER
Well it’s an early bath for him and the scene ends in a total washout. Disaster.
TITLE
THE BIG SCENE
This video shows a group of actors rehearsing the scene and the director is trying out different ways to perform it. As you watch, consider the following:
- how you think this would have been performed in Shakespeare’s time
- how modern special effects could be used to make the scene dramatic
- how lighting and sound could be used to make this scene convincing to the audience
Act 2 Scene 2 – Casting Caliban
Throughout the play Caliban is referred to as a 'savage and deformed slave', 'misshapen knave', 'howling monster' and worse. He has been played as a person, a lizard, a monkey, a snake.
'The Tempest' - How would you cast Caliban?
PRESENTER
Caliban! A tricky part to cast. Some say he’s a man and some
say he’s a monster. Some say savage and some say sad.
Some find him funny and some find frightening. Some say evil
and some say mad.
I say it’s time someone made their flipping mind up because this
is Casting Caliban.
TITLE :
THE TEMPEST
CASTING CALIBAN
PRESENTER
Interesting! Caliban is described as a strange beast and he’s
even mistaken for a fish when he’s first found so this snaky thing
could work.
CALIBAN
Sometime am I all wound with adders who with cloven tongues
do…
DIRECTOR
Excuse me. I appreciate the effort but Stephano specifically
says, this is some monster of the isle with four legs. So this isn’t
quite working for me really.
CALIBAN
Right fine. Fine I’ll go then. But you’re making a big mistake.
PRESENTER
I think it’s storming out. This could take a while.
TITLE :
THE TEMPEST
CASTING CALIBAN
CALIBAN
Do not torment me prithee. I’ll bring my wood home faster.
DIRECTOR
Hey. Yeah great. Can I just stop you for a moment? Caliban is
part man for sure but you’re kind of all man at the moment.
CALIBAN
Ehh!
DIRECTOR
Yeah. Great.
Yeah. Great.
PRESENTER
Blimey, there’s a monster in him after all.
CALIBAN
Eh, eh, eh! Do not torment me prithee, I’ll bring my wood home
faster.
DIRECTOR
Love it.
CALIBAN
Eh, eh, eh, eh…ooh that’s better. Eh, eh.
DIRECTOR
Next.
TITLE :
THE TEMPEST
CASTING CALIBAN
PRESENTER
He looks more miserable than monstrous. But Caliban certainly
is Prospero’s prisoner. Savage yet enslaved.
DIRECTOR
So do you have an agent?
CALIBAN
I did. But I killed him and ate him.
DIRECTOR
No agent. No agent.
PRESENTER
It’s been a strange afternoon that’s for sure. But this is a
fascinating interpretation. Lots going on here. Maybe
monstrous, possibly magical, man or beast. And he really stinks.
This is method acting and no mistake.
CALIBAN
Ooh look at that.
DIRECTOR
Like it. Nice touch. So how did you hear about the audition?
CALIBAN
What is audition? Poom.
TITLE :
THE TEMPEST
CASTING CALIBAN
This video shows a group of actors auditioning to play to part of Caliban. As you watch, consider the following:
how Caliban could be presented as some kind of monster, or something more humanthink about how the different ways you present Caliban will change the way the audience think about himhow you could use costume and makeup
Act 3 Scene 3 – The banquet
Ariel tricks Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo into believing they have seen a wonderful banquet. He appears to them as a <glossaryterm id="zm3hb9q>harpy and reminds them of their sins.
'The Tempest' - How would you stage the banquet?
PRESENTER (OFF SCREEN)
Here are the directors. 12 divorces, nine lawsuits and
three stints in rehab between them.
PRESENTER
These guys know what they want and they normally get it.
Today they’re looking for innovative ways of staging a notoriously
tricky scene in the Tempest. It’s act three, scene three and spirit
Ariel makes an entire banquet appear and then disappear in front
of the play’s shipwrecked victims.
TITLE:
DIRECTORS’ DEN
PRESENTER
First into the Director’s Den is theatre designer Geraldine. She’s
hoping her idea for Ariel’s feast will prove as tempting to the
Directors as it does to the scene’s noblemen.
GERALDINE
I’m representing one of the magical creatures that delivers Ariel’s
banquet. And as you can see the shipwrecked noblemen would
be sorely tempted by this delicious spread.
DIRECTOR IN BLACK SUIT
Hi Geraldine. I think you look like an idiot but I think anyone is
going to be tempted by that food. It looks delicious. There’s one
thing that still concerns me, well apart from the wings. The script
clearly states that this banquet disappears by a quaint device.
How are you going to get this beautiful food to vanish live on
stage?
GERALDINE
Er…
DIRECTOR IN BLACK SUIT
It’s meant to be an illusion Geraldine. You’ve failed to consider
one of the vital elements of this scene and for that reason, I’m
out.
GERALDINE
What about if the actors just ate the food really quickly without
anyone noticing? Sort of like…
FEMALE DIRECTOR
Geraldine stop! Stop! Scoffing all that food down without
Geraldine stop! Stop! Scoffing all that food down without
anyone noticing is impossible, unfeasible and it’s never going to
happen and for those three reasons, I’m out.
PRESENTER
Geraldine’s disappeared a lot faster than her tasty feast did
there. Will lighting designer Barbara fare any better?
BARBARA
All it takes is a simple flick of the switch. And back on. The food
is gone.
DIRECTOR IN RED TIE
Hi Barbara, it’s Peter. Your idea is very dramatic. Affordable as
well. It could be very effective on stage. Tell me how does this
work?
BARBARA
Oh well ,my handpicked team use the brief cloak of darkness to
remove the food. They’ve been training for weeks. And are
incredibly fast and stealthy, as you can see.
DIRECTOR PETER
Well whoop dee doo Barbara but I’m afraid our production will be
staged outside and during the day, so this won’t work for our
audience. And your team’s training has been for nought. For
that reason, I’m out.
TEAM MEMBER
Come on.You’ve got to be kidding me.
BARBARA
I’m sorry.
TEAM MEMBER
Haven’t seen my kids for a month.
TEAM MEMBER
Yeah.
PRESENTER
Young designer Walter seems to have left the Directors unsure if
he has an exciting idea -or simply no idea at all.
WALTER
No matter, since they have left their viands behind for we have
stomachs. Will it please you taste what is here?
DIRECTOR IN RED TIE
So Walter let me get this straight. There won’t actually be a
banquet at all? The audience has to use their imagination?
WALTER
That is correct. The noblemen are under the spell of Ariel so the
banquet could be a product of their hungry imagination.
FEMALE DIRECTOR
Do you know what I think? I think it’s cracking this imagination
business. The audience can really concentrate on the actors’
performances and it could save a fortune in the props
department. Actually that’s a point. How much does nothing
cost?
WALTER
Five million pound.
DIRECTOR IN BLACK SUIT
How on earth did you come up with a figure like that?
WALTER
Just used my imagination.
DIRECTOR IN BLACK SUIT
Okay. Walter, imagine this, I’m out.
WALTER
Fair enough. Worth a try.
This video shows a group of stage designers pitching ideas on how to stage this scene. As you watch, consider the following:
- how you would make an entire banquet appear and then disappear
- what modern special effects you could use
- how you could make sure the banquet would entice and amaze the noblemen and the audience
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