Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ to set sail at UHCL with international theater troupe

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) welcomes international theater troupe Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS) for performances of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” While housed and workshopped in England, academic tours are arranged through the University of Notre Dame.

Actors From The London Stage is a touring theater company developed by Professor Homer Swander at the University of California – Santa Barbara and co-founded by British actor Patrick Stewart. The company, made up of five actors from various renowned theater groups, visits nearly 16 to 20 universities every year.

“It’s a totally unique theatrical experience I’ve never seen anywhere else,” said Elizabeth Klett, professor of literature, who is a seasoned AFTLS performance goer.

Regarding the challenge of staging performances with five actors playing multiple roles, Klett said that engaged members of the audience are a part of creating the event.

The five actors portraying “The Tempest”– William Donaldson, who performed at UHCL in 2017 in AFTLS’ production of “Romeo and Juliet,” Noel White, David Rubin, Molly Vevers and Arthur Wilson – take on a combined total of 18 roles.

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” is a play that relies heavily on the themes of repentance and forgiveness. Prospero, the Duke of Milan, has been previously wronged by his brother Antonio and struggles with the difference between what is fair and what is just.

Donaldson said that the performance is a stripped back version of the text.

“Like what Shakespeare had to use in the Globe [Theater] when it was originally built,” Donaldson said.

When explaining how the actors go about differentiating their roles, Donaldson said that it is the actor’s responsibility to use their movements and voice to establish their characters.

“To further help the audience, we make slight costume alterations to act as a character signifier,” White said.

Both Donaldson and White said they enjoy the personal interaction between themselves and the audience.

“A live stage show is different every time,” White said. “Anything can happen. That frisson and tension can’t be reproduced with a recorded performance. The relationship between the actors and that particular audience means both performer and audience share a unique, communal experience.”

Donaldson said the audience is a part of the show and is considered the sixth actor.

The actors structure the show in a way that they hope resonates with the audience. While they are accurately representing Shakespeare’s original text, they create some attributes of the characters that relate to the modern audience.

One of the characters in the production is Juno, a spirit of Prospero and a goddess, who is played by Donaldson. With a laugh, Donaldson said that playing Juno “is one of the best moments in the show.”

With previous experience playing RuPaul in an English comedy musical, Donaldson was able to fully commit to this new role and said he approaches the character of Juno with a heightened sense of physicality.

“It’s a little bit camp, and it’s a little bit drag,” Donaldson said.

Donaldson believes the Juno character gives the cast yet another way to connect with their viewers.

“The drag race vibe [will] resonate with an audience that watches that TV show,” Donaldson said.

When they are not on stage, the cast will be found in workshops and classrooms throughout their time at UHCL. Klett revealed that it is rare for students to have opportunities to interact with the actors in the classroom.

“When they were here in 2017, both students and faculty absolutely loved getting up on their feet and working with text,” Klett said.

Examples of previous workshop subjects include public speaking and how to present one’s self.

During this tour stop at UHCL, seven professors, including Klett, spanning six major areas of study, have invited the cast to visit their classrooms.

AFTLS will perform “The Tempest” in the Bayou Theater at The University of Houston-Clear Lake Feb. 13-15. All performances start at 7:30 p.m., and the prices range from $10-$26.