The show begins with a bang. A storm is projected onstage, onto a group sailing through the choppy waters. Images of sinister beings appear in the background and the sense of ominous dread is punctuated by the tone of the score.
After the initial scene come the introductions of Miranda and Prospero, a daughter and father stranded on an island full of spirits, a place they were cast to by a vengeful family member.
The story of Prospero and his trials are told in “The Tempest,” which will debut 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre.
The play, penned by William Shakespeare, has been staged many times since its debut in the 1600s, but the IU Department of Theatre and Drama’s version includes a variety of novel elements, including a completely redone audio score.
Anthony Stoeri, sound designer for the show and second-year master of fine arts student, worked with director Henry Woronicz and composer and Jacobs School of Music student Paul Mortilla, to put together the various lighting and sound elements of the show.
“There are a lot of moments where there are technical elements that need to play off and connect with each other in a way that requires a lot of attention to detail,” Stoeri said. “But it’s also been really fun to create an environment that’s as rich as this one is and as free to be whatever we want it to be.”
The show incorporates projection and sophisticated light techniques, which Stoeri said he dealt with frequently in the past, as his academic focus is in lighting design.
Part of the sound designer’s job was sitting down with Woronicz and figuring out when to introduce music, which the director hoped to focus on, and when to focus simply on tones or percussive texture, Stoeri said.
Stoeri said he was able to learn not only the technical aspects of sound in a production such as this, but from the perspective of emphasizing parts of the plot and story that should stand out from the technical flourishes.
“I think Henry brought a very heartfelt understanding of the way that this is Propero’s story, the story of a man who has lost everything once and is losing everything again,” Stoeri said. “One of the dangers of this play is that it becomes easy to make it about the spectacle of the show — when you do this, you run the risk of losing the humanity of the show.”
Matthew Murry, a third year acting MFA playing the role of Prospero, said he wanted to take part in this because he came to graduate school with the goal of working on his dramatic acting.
“When it comes to Shakespeare, I didn’t get a lot of experience in my undergrad,” Murry said. “To play one of the leading characters in a Shakespeare show is one of the ultimate challenges.”
In addition to the technical differences, which Murry said come together onstage with the advanced lighting, sound and character set-up, there is also a distinct character difference in the way Prospero interacts with the Ariels, who cause him the most challenge and pain on the island as he fights to protect his daughter.
“There’s the idea that Henry has that the Ariels are not seen by Prospero, he never hones in on their location, and that’s very different,” Murry said. “Usually Ariel is one character and Prospero sees him or her, whereas this time he does not see the Ariels, and there are three of them.”
One of Prospero’s main focuses is on power, Murry said.
“He has a lot of power that he has compiled on the island over these years,” Murry said. “There comes this huge decision when he has to let go of that power in order to forgive the anger he’s held onto, the injustice that’s been done to him and his daughter. That’s the only way he’s going to get out of this, and also very human. Letting go is a very difficult thing.”
