SHAKESPEARE BY THE SEA XXI STORMS INTO CARLIN PARK
WITH WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S
THE TEMPEST
JULY 14-17 AND 21-24
JUPITER-The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival celebrates its 21st year of bringing the Bard’s works to life with this summer’s production of THE TEMPEST. The famed work will star Shakespeare Festival veterans alongside an up-and-coming actress, this year’s annual Pathfinder Award recipient for Drama, Katherine Seldin of Spanish River High School, in the role of Miranda. The performances take place July 14th-17th and 21st-24th at 8pm, at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park, Jupiter. Admission is FREE with a suggested donation of $5 per adult.
One of the great comedy plays by William Shakespeare, the plot starts when King Alonso of Naples and his entourage sail home for Italy after attending his daughter’s wedding. They encounter a violent storm, or Tempest, which forces everyone to jump overboard and be washed ashore on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero who has deliberately conjured up the storm. Prospero and Miranda live on the island which is also inhabited by Ariel, a sprite who carries out the bidding of Prospero, and the ugly, half human Caliban.
“Since the opening of the Seabreeze Amphitheatre in 2009, we have been returning to the plays we first performed in Carlin Park nearly twenty years ago,” says Artistic Director of Shakespeare by the Sea, Dr. Kevin Crawford. “Those works span Shakespeare’s career as a writer, and have included delightful comedies, his darkest tragedies, and, now, with the late romance of “The Tempest,” his final non-collaborative effort for the stage. It is a drama of loss, redemption, vengeance, forgiveness, magic, and the very art of theatre itself. I am thrilled to revisit its truly enchanted island this year, somewhat sentimentally, as 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the play’s first performances and ends a twenty-year absence from our own stage in Jupiter.” Crawford also stars as Prospero, with veteran actors Patrick Wilkinson as Caliban, and Kristina Parker as Ariel.
The Festival had explored the possibility of implementing an admission fee for adults this year, but after discussion, Executive Director Kermit Christman decided to continue the Festival’s “Pay what you Will” tradition, with a suggested donation of $5 per adult. “I heard from families who come multiple times each year who said they would be unable to do so if we charged admission,” says Christman. “I decided that our mission has to continue, providing this event for all socioeconomic levels. We hope those who are able to will donate, so we can continue our tradition of free productions.”
The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival and The Hartman Foundation, in association with Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation present Shakespeare by the Sea XXI’s production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest July 14th-17th and 21st-24th at 8:00pm. Gates open at 6:30pm with pre-show entertainment provided by the Court Jester, Richard Ribuffo. Bring a beach chair, blanket and picnic basket or enjoy concessions at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park, Jupiter. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 per adult. Call the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department Events Hotline at 561-966-7099 or visit www.pbshakespeare.org for more information. Shakespeare by the Sea XXI is sponsored by The Hartman Foundation, The Palm Beach Post, Publix Supermarket Charities and is dedicated to long-time board member and sponsor, Mary E. Gale.
ABOUT THE PALM BEACH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival is a 501(c)3 professional theater company dedicated to enhancing the accessibility and appreciation for Shakespearean, classic and contemporary theater for all ages and socioeconomic levels. For more information about the Festival, its history or its season, please visit www.pbshakespeare.org.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Elizabeth Dashiell
561-543-8276
palmbeachpr@yahoo.com