«Shakespeare. The Tempest» is a production that steps outside the boundaries of classical theater to find the «storm» in everyday life, conveying the very sensation of the storm through visual imagery and music.
What happens if the storm spills beyond the stage?
This form will help explore and express one of the work’s key themes—the relationship between illusion and reality in theater and in life.The performance format is a site-specific production, extending beyond the confines of the proscenium arch into the theater space and/or out into the street.
Artistic Concept
According to one version, Shakespeare’s play The Tempest was written as a metaphorical farewell to the creative path and the act of writing. In the play, the main character, Prospero the exiled Duke of Milan, becomes a powerful sorcerer on a deserted island. Through his magic, he gains the chance to teach his betrayers a lesson, clouding their minds and nearly driving them mad with his enchantments.
The figure of Prospero combines that of a creative genius and a madman; his magic is akin to a metaphor for possessing knowledge and skill. The storm he creates is simultaneously an expression of his feelings and thoughts—a personal artistic gesture, an act of creation and artistry.
Prospero on the island—a creator, much like a musician or an artist, who builds a world seemingly «out of nothing"—drawing strength from the surrounding world, assembling his own realm, and staging it like a fairy tale for his daughter (or for himself).
Bidding farewell to the island and releasing the spirits, he lets go of his creations as well—they no longer belong to him.On the other hand, the storm is a peak state of intensity and destruction. It sweeps away the old, yet it also clears space for the new.
The contemporary world is a tempest characterized by a lack of certainty and predictability, yet mastering and creating amidst this storm—both internally and externally—is one of its fundamental conditions.
This gives rise to the idea of a possible alternative format—moving beyond the confines of classical theatrical space to find the «storm» within everyday life, and conveying the very feeling of that storm through visual imagery and music.
What will the audience see?
Platform
Explain it in simple terms, avoiding excessive detail or jargon.
Provide a holistic overview: exactly what is being offered and what it comprises.
After this section, the viewer should be able to briefly summarize the core of the solution.
Project Implementation
The performance will be created as part of the Pokrovka project. It is a launch for a new and independent ensemble of young actors who have auditioned for the project. An open defense of artistic concepts will take place in December, utilizing multimedia technologies.
The team responsible for developing the visual solution will consist of four members: a set designer, a costume designer, a designer, and a producer.Tasks for the set designer:
1. Conduct visual research on the material, discover the visual language and metaphor
2. Develop sketches for the scenes
3. Create mock-ups, tests, and prototypes
4. Develop the model and mock-up of the final solution
5. Develop the necessary documentation: blueprints, budget,
And how from these incorporeal masks, Not even a trace will remain. We are made of the same substance, As our dreams. And our whole little life is surrounded by dreams.
