Townsville Grammar School will stage their biennial production on a larger scale than ever this year – bringing William Shakespeare’s The Tempest to the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.
Tin Pham, playing the lead role of Ariel, said the venue offered new opportunities for the performance.
“The closure [of the Civic Theatre] pushed our performance back from the original dates in May, which has had both advantages and disadvantages,” Tin said. “It meant that we had to scrap many ideas for set and staging and reconceptualise for the new space at the Entertainment Centre.
“Luckily it’s been a smooth transition to adapt to the new stage and space, which is less intimate than the Civic Theatre.
“Some of the old-fashioned magic has been reconfigured to a more technologically advanced spectacle. For a play so heavily reliant on fantasy and sorcery, the Entertainment Centre has provided some new possibilities, so we’re excited to see the outcome.”
The Tempest, believed to be one of Shakespeare’s final works, follows the story of Prospero, a sorcerer, who seeks revenge on his sister for sending him out to sea to die.
“The language of Shakespeare, even though we’ve modernised it and composed our own music, still has its poetic ring and themes of love, family, loyalty and revenge. Working on a contemporary version gives us the chance to work on other things such as physicality and complex relationships to bring the characters to life more realistically.
“Being able to rely on the power of Shakespeare’s words while putting your personal take on a play that’s been done so many times feels so rewarding.”
Catch Townsville Grammar School’s The Tempest at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre from 22-24 August 2019, with more information on the School’s Facebook page.
