Gary Shakespeare Company tours with ‘The Tempest’ around the Region

Director Morgan McCabe of New Chicago, Indiana, describes her scenic designer at Gary Shakespeare Company, Jim Severa, as having “imaginative wizardry” with large cardboard boxes saved from refrigerators.

“Our scenic design pieces for our summer ‘on the road’ performances need to be light and transportable and Jim Severa always comes through for us,” McCabe said.

“For this summer run, we have this incredible grotto made of cardboard and fabric, and it all neatly folds and transports easily.”

McCabe is directing a new run of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” which began traveling around Northwest Indiana for free outdoor venue performances July 28 and continues with 7 p.m. show times Aug. 4 at Marquette Park, 660 Oak Ave., Gary; Aug. 5 at Ogden Gazebo Gardens, 451 Harrison Blvd., Valparaiso; Aug. 6 at Bulldog Park Ampitheatre, 183 S. West St., Crown Point; Aug. 11 at Coffee Creek Watershed Amphitheatre, 2401 Village Point, Chesterton; Aug. 12 at Lake Hills Amphitheatre, 8640 Lake Hills Drive, St. John; and Aug. 13 at Twin Oaks Park, 3098 N. Lake Park Ave., New Chicago.

“This is our 10th year of summer performances and this season we have a cast of 14, with both new and returning talents,” said McCabe, including her husband Tony Martin, who assisted with the scenic painting.

“I’ve been with Gary Shakespeare Company since it launched in 2013 when I performed in ‘King Lear.’ The following year, in 2014, I directed ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ so I was honored to be asked to be back and direct this 10th anniversary show run.”

The creative team also includes sound and lighting by Kevin Kuhn and costumes by Stephanie Naumoff.

“Because we are performing outside at our area park spaces, and it’s the middle of the summer months, we took some liberties with the costuming to avoid the heavy traditional Elizabethan period garments so the actors don’t overheat,” McCabe said.

“And for the last weekend of July, our Friday night performance was dedicated to still come out full force despite 94 degree temperatures. In one of the scenes, the men wear tuxedos, but we let them lose the jackets and in some cases, some of the guys even opted to get rid of their shirts and just wear the vest to avoid all of the layers.”

The cast stars Brandon Hearne as Ferdinand; Keith Loeffler as Alonso; Tyler Marrie as Antonio; Kelly Denise Horton as Gonzalo; Matthew Seiluns as Sebastian; Breanne Knopf as Miranda; Marlo Dongu as Prospero; Stacy Nelson as Ariel; Christina Biancardi as Caliban; Ryan Moskalick as Trinculo and Juno; Alexander Bonner as Stephano and Boatswain; Mae Colette as Ceres and Spirit; Sarah Wurster as Iris and Spirit; and Maggie Reister as Master, Spirit and Reaper, as well as cast understudy.

“As most people are familiar, this play is the tale of Prospero and his daughter Miranda who live in exile on an island bound by magic and they find their lives change after a storm shipwrecks a boat and crew on the island,” McCabe said.

“It’s the conjuring and spells by Prospero used as a tool of revenge by him against his own brother and the King of Naples for his exile. When Miranda meets the King’s son, Ferdinand, he is the first human other than her father that she has ever seen, creating even more unrest on the island ruled by her father’s charms and the spirits he controls.”

McCabe says the plays centuries’ old theme continues to resonate exploring various themes such as “what does it mean to be human?”

“We made use of Prospero’s magic to shape how this production looks by imagining that there are various items that have washed up on the shore from times and places unknown to them which is why we let the cast wear a modern costuming,” McCabe said.

“We also explored the landscape of relationships looking at what we not only already recognize and understand around us, but also what we still have to learn about being human. We’ve loved taking our audiences on this strange journey with us.”

Gary Shakespeare Company

When: 7 p.m. Aug. 4-6, 11-13

Where: outdoor performances Aug. 4 at Marquette Park, 660 Oak Ave., Gary; Aug. 5 at Ogden Gazebo Gardens, 451 Harrison Blvd., Valparaiso; Aug. 6 at Bulldog Park Ampitheatre, 183 S. West St., Crown Point; Aug. 11 at Coffee Creek Watershed Amphitheatre, 2401 Village Point, Chesterton; Aug. 12 at Lake Hills Amphitheatre, 8640 Lake Hills Drive, St. John; Aug. 13 at Twin Oaks Park, 3098 N. Lake Park Ave., New Chicago

Cost: Free

Information: garyshakesco.org/

Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter with the Post-Tribune.