Students Perform Shakespeare’s Tempest in Outdoor Venue
Shores of Blair Lake Provide Added Drama

The Blair Academy Players presented William Shakespeare’s The Tempest on April 30 and May 2 in the Robert J. Evans Open Air Theatre. The special setting evokes the drama of the days when Shakespearean productions were performed out of doors. The Express-Times (Easton, Pa.) featured advance coverage of the play in its April 29 edition, as well as additional photos online. Click here to view.

The play was a perfect one for Blair’s open air theatre, which takes advantage of the beauty of spring on the shores of Blair Lake. The Tempest is the second Shakespearean play to be produced there, following Julius Caesar, performed there three years ago. This gem of a venue was built over several years by long-time theatre teacher and thespian Craig Evans and named after his late father.)

Craig notes: “Often called Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage, The Tempest is set on an island where the usurped Duke of Milan Prospero (played by Mike Breslin ’09) and his daughter Miranda (played by Lotte Lijnzaad ’09) were cast away, and where they have encountered the monster Caliban (played by Eric Hedden ’09) and fairy Ariel (played by Nathalie Tilley ’10). A chance for revenge occurs when a ship carrying Prospero’s brother Antonio (played by Torin Frey ’10) and his ally the King of Naples (played by Roileigh Ollson ’10) sails within range of Prospero’s magic powers, thus the storm of the title. Shipwrecked with them is Prince Ferdinand (played by Andrew Singh ’09) who falls under the romantic spell of Miranda. Thus love, revenge, plots, music and magic come into play in this timeless classic, student directed by Ali Johnson ’12.”

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Updated 5/4/09

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