The Beaucoup section experienced “The Tempest” performed by the students of the UL Lafayette Theatre Program. Here are their thoughts.
Adhamm Safford
Editor-in-Chief
I’ve always had a somewhat contentious relationship with Shakespeare, which I may now have to blame solely on my high school making us read him on our own or having disinterested, monotone teens take turns reading aloud. While I still don’t have the greatest appreciation for him, the university’s production of “The Tempest” has swayed me a bit.
It can’t be easy to memorize and perform Shakespearean English, but every actor perfectly took to their role. Even when I had no idea what was being said, the emotions still came across clearly. I was especially drawn to the performances of Sara Birk as Prospero and Brooke Murphy as Miranda.
The costumes, hair and make-up were all stand-outs for me (if someone from the theatre department is reading this, I’d really like to have Prospero’s coat, please get in touch with me), as well as the unique staging. The stage resembled a skatepark’s halfpipe, transforming from a ship to a far-flung island. The “Immesrive Experience” It was definitely unique, being so close to the actors and seeing characters crawl out from under things nearby or run around behind me.
This is an easy show for me to recommend, even if you’re not familiar or fond of Shakespeare. The work done by the cast and team is what really brings it all together and makes for an engaging time.
Sarah Guidry
Managing Editor
“The Tempest” was by far the most elaborate and amazing production I have seen from the Performing Arts Department. The first thing that really stood out to me was the stage and how the seating was arranged. The stage was built to function as a ship, the ground, and had steps which were used in some scenes.
There were also crawl spaces that the character Caliban crawled out of, which added more to the immersive environment. There were seats arranged close to the stage that could be purchased, which put you even closer to the actors. Ambient sounds and a projector further added to the immersion of the production.
The cast was so amazing. Everyone fit their role very well and I have to say that my favorite character was Ariel, the wind spirit. He was so sassy and it made for some really humorous scenes. Every one of the actors deserve all of the praise and recognition because they worked so hard to make sure the play was enjoyable for all.
Overall, the play was an amazing experience, and if it is ever put on again, I would highly recommend attending!
Meg Norwood
Illustrations Editor
Once again, I was excited to watch yet another amazing performance put together by the students in the Performing Arts.
The stage set up for “The Tempest” was arranged differently than any other performance I have seen before, with the stage shaped like a cross with ramps on the left and right ends and included “interactive” extra seating close up to the stage. This arrangement also included a screen projection in the right top corner of the stage that was used to present the weather or any magic being used by Prospero or Ariel.
The audience was already immersed into the experience before the performance even began with the setting of the lights, audio to emulate ship creaking and wind blowing, and three of the cast members playing as crew mates wandering around on the stage.
Throughout “The Tempest,” there was amazing costume design, audio and light usage done wonderfully for not only the environment but to also invoke specific emotions in certain scenes. I believe each character was perfectly cast and the acting itself was fantastic.
I loved every minute of this performance. It was truly one of the best performances I have seen by the Performing Arts!
Marie Ducote
Allons Writer
This was my first time seeing a Shakespeare play performed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Shakespeare was not something I read much of in my classes at school. I went into the play not knowing what it was about. The costumes and lighting were beautiful. I also liked the use of sound effects to emphasize current scenes.
This also gave the play an immersive element with the actors coming from all over the theatre for their scene. Performance highlights were Nick Mackowiak as Ariel and Brooke Murphy as Miranda. All of the performances were fantastic.
I liked the fantasy elements of “The Tempest” along with the comedic elements. I was not able to go to last semester’s play “Along the Nile.” The plays the theatre department put on are always the highlight of the semester for me. The plays are a nice break before the stress of finals kick in.
