(Photo: Frances Meng-Frecker)
By: Allison Upchurch, Staff Reporter
Last weekend, Regis’ Shakespeare group, the St. Pelagia’s Players, performed their production of one of William Shakespeare’s final plays, The Tempest, in the Claver Recital Hall. For a more in-depth look at the players and the creation of the show, click here for the Highlander’s exclusive coverage.
In this specific production of The Tempest, a duchess named Prospera, played by Court Huston, has escaped with her daughter Miranda, played by freshman Alana LeBaron, to an island after her family tried to kill her and take her magic powers. In retaliation for the act, Prospera calls upon the island’s nature spirit named Ariel, played by Caroline Conrad, to raise a storm and strand her sister Antonia, played by senior Hannah Creasman, and the royal entourage of the Queen, played by junior Rachael Urquhart, on the island. From there, the entourage is separated and each group fights for dominance and an understanding of the mysterious island that they have landed upon.
St. Pelagia’s Players have interpreted this production in a more modern setting, reflected primarily in the character’s clothing. Those characters who are regal and strive for power wear the sharp business suits and adopt powerful stances, while those who are more humble wear lighter colors. The costume that immediately stands out from the rest is that of the island’s fish-monster inhabitant Caliban, played by sophomore Gwendolyn Mulligan, which is made completely out of pieces of waste and trash.
In fact, the entire staging is uniquely made out of collected pieces of garbage. With an emphasis on plastic waste, the stage is lined with bottles, containers, wrappers, and giant pieces of Styrofoam. The staging reflects the theme the St. Pelagia’s Players present about consumer behavior in our world. In the Producer’s Notes presented in the playbill, it states “We as consumers…must remember that recycling is not enough: we must be conscious of all the plastic we encounter and purchase in our everyday lives, and endeavor to choose more wisely.”
Through the production of The Tempest, the St. Pelagia’s Players invite the audience to see the amount of trash that builds up in life, both literal and figuratively, and show how it is possible to work towards forgiveness and better conservation practices for our world.
For more information on the St. Pelagia’s Players, email stpelagiasplayers@gmail.com or follow their Facebook group @StPelagiaRegis.