Doubling roles in Shakespeare's Tempest

ggle75 · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

I'm working on a smallish production of The Tempest, and I'm looking
for (a) some workable ideas about how to double roles to keep the
total number of actors down, and (b) what cuts to make to bring the
play down in size a bit.

Can you share your experiences, either on productions you've done or
seen? Thank you very much.

Archived from group: rec>arts>theatre>plays

ggle75 · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

On Jul 22, 3:58 pm, "ggl...@carpelibris.com"
wrote:
> I'm working on a smallish production of The Tempest, and I'm looking
> for (a) some workable ideas about how to double roles to keep the
> total number of actors down, and (b) what cuts to make to bring the
> play down in size a bit.
>
> Can you share your experiences, either on productions you've done or
> seen? Thank you very much.

Oh, where is the best place to put the intermission? And how long does
it take?

Thanks - all ideas and suggestions welcome!

JPW · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 9

On Jul 22, 3:26 pm, "ggl...@carpelibris.com"
wrote:
> On Jul 22, 3:58 pm, "ggl...@carpelibris.com"
> wrote:
>
> > I'm working on a smallish production of The Tempest, and I'm looking
> > for (a) some workable ideas about how to double roles to keep the
> > total number of actors down, and (b) what cuts to make to bring the
> > play down in size a bit.
>
> > Can you share your experiences, either on productions you've done or
> > seen? Thank you very much.
>
> Oh, where is the best place to put the intermission? And how long does
> it take?
>
> Thanks - all ideas and suggestions welcome!

The play takes about 2 hours overall. I'd put the intermission at the
end of Act II--that's roughly halfway (though you might put it at the
end of III). As for doubling--difficult to see that that's a
possibility really--the Boatswain is one such I guess. Remember too
you've got to cast the masque elements, and the goddesses. Not really
a small cast play given the spectacle element, I would have thought.
As for cutting, the Widow Dido stuff might be a bit arcane for some,
and could possibly go. But again, it is a short play.

JPW
http://www.jpwearing.com

Daniel Kessler · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 10

Of course you know that the play was never 'finished'. It does end oddly
too!

I, too, like to see a lot of "masked" elements or pagentry in that last
act and sort of makes up for not leaving the audience "stranded" as if
often the case with this play. It doesn't end...it just "stops!"

It is the only Shakespeare play wherein Shakespeare invented the plot,
characters, et al...all of his other plays were a redo of someone else's
efforts...and at the end of the day ...he couldn't figure out how to end
it! Of course, with todoy's copywright laws, no playwright could ever get
away with stealing someone else's play.

"ggle75@carpelibris.com" wrote:

> On Jul 22, 3:58 pm, "ggl...@carpelibris.com"
> wrote:
> > I'm working on a smallish production of The Tempest, and I'm looking
> > for (a) some workable ideas about how to double roles to keep the
> > total number of actors down, and (b) what cuts to make to bring the
> > play down in size a bit.
> >
> > Can you share your experiences, either on productions you've done or
> > seen? Thank you very much.
>
> Oh, where is the best place to put the intermission? And how long does
> it take?
>
> Thanks - all ideas and suggestions welcome!

JPW · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 9

On Jul 24, 6:41 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:

> It is the only Shakespeare play wherein Shakespeare invented the plot,
> characters, et al...all of his other plays were a redo of someone else's
> efforts...and at the end of the day ...he couldn't figure out how to end

There's no specific source for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," or "Love's
Labour's Lost," and so "The Tempest" would actually be the third play
for which Shakespeare "invented" the plot. He was, nevertheless, like
Autolycus, a snapper-up of other people's trifles.

JPW
http://www.jpwearing.com

Daniel Kessler · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 10

JPW wrote:

> On Jul 24, 6:41 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:
>
> > It is the only Shakespeare play wherein Shakespeare invented the plot,
> > characters, et al...all of his other plays were a redo of someone else's
> > efforts...and at the end of the day ...he couldn't figure out how to end
>
> There's no specific source for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," or "Love's
> Labour's Lost," and so "The Tempest" would actually be the third play
> for which Shakespeare "invented" the plot. He was, nevertheless, like
> Autolycus, a snapper-up of other people's trifles.

That's interesting ....since Isaac Asimov in his exhaustive "Guide to
Shakespeare" says:

"What's more, The Tempest is Shakespeare's complete creation too, for it is
the one play in which he apparently made up his own plot." Maybe he's
thinking that since his "Midsummer Night's Dream" is set upon the frame of an
impending wedding --that of Thesus and Hippolyta and that these characters are
taken from Greek myths -- they are not invented by Shakespeare, as are Miranda
or Prospero, etc.

Also, in "Love's Labor Lost" ...the characters spring from real people who
existed at the time...so maybe Asimov cannot count them as "invented" by the
"bard."

JPW · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 9

On Jul 26, 6:57 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:
> JPW wrote:
> > On Jul 24, 6:41 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:
>
> > > It is the only Shakespeare play wherein Shakespeare invented the plot,
> > > characters, et al...all of his other plays were a redo of someone else's
> > > efforts...and at the end of the day ...he couldn't figure out how to end
>
> > There's no specific source for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," or "Love's
> > Labour's Lost," and so "The Tempest" would actually be the third play
> > for which Shakespeare "invented" the plot. He was, nevertheless, like
> > Autolycus, a snapper-up of other people's trifles.
>
> That's interesting ....since Isaac Asimov in his exhaustive "Guide to
> Shakespeare" says:
>
> "What's more, The Tempest is Shakespeare's complete creation too, for it is
> the one play in which he apparently made up his own plot." Maybe he's
> thinking that since his "Midsummer Night's Dream" is set upon the frame of an
> impending wedding --that of Thesus and Hippolyta and that these characters are
> taken from Greek myths -- they are not invented by Shakespeare, as are Miranda
> or Prospero, etc.
>
> Also, in "Love's Labor Lost" ...the characters spring from real people who
> existed at the time...so maybe Asimov cannot count them as "invented" by the
> "bard."

Writers (including myself) get things wrong all the time--though
scholars (including myself) do their best not to make mistakes.

Incidentally, "The Tempest" does have sources--materials Shakespeare
borrowed, and remember too there are mythological figures in the play
(as there are in Midsummer). BTW, "The Shakespeare Diaries" hint that
by choosing the name Prospero, Shakespeare was getting back at Ben
Jonson (the problematic reference to the "Bermoothes" falls into the
same category).
JPW
http://www.jpwearing.com

Daniel Kessler · Joined: 04 Aug 2007 Posts: 10

yes, I had a trip to the "Bermoothes" some years ago. Didn't much care for the
place.

JPW wrote:

> On Jul 26, 6:57 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:
> > JPW wrote:
> > > On Jul 24, 6:41 am, Daniel Kessler wrote:
> >
> > > > It is the only Shakespeare play wherein Shakespeare invented the plot,
> > > > characters, et al...all of his other plays were a redo of someone else's
> > > > efforts...and at the end of the day ...he couldn't figure out how to end
> >
> > > There's no specific source for "A Midsummer Night's Dream," or "Love's
> > > Labour's Lost," and so "The Tempest" would actually be the third play
> > > for which Shakespeare "invented" the plot. He was, nevertheless, like
> > > Autolycus, a snapper-up of other people's trifles.
> >
> > That's interesting ....since Isaac Asimov in his exhaustive "Guide to
> > Shakespeare" says:
> >
> > "What's more, The Tempest is Shakespeare's complete creation too, for it is
> > the one play in which he apparently made up his own plot." Maybe he's
> > thinking that since his "Midsummer Night's Dream" is set upon the frame of an
> > impending wedding --that of Thesus and Hippolyta and that these characters are
> > taken from Greek myths -- they are not invented by Shakespeare, as are Miranda
> > or Prospero, etc.
> >
> > Also, in "Love's Labor Lost" ...the characters spring from real people who
> > existed at the time...so maybe Asimov cannot count them as "invented" by the
> > "bard."
>
> Writers (including myself) get things wrong all the time--though
> scholars (including myself) do their best not to make mistakes.
>
> Incidentally, "The Tempest" does have sources--materials Shakespeare
> borrowed, and remember too there are mythological figures in the play
> (as there are in Midsummer). BTW, "The Shakespeare Diaries" hint that
> by choosing the name Prospero, Shakespeare was getting back at Ben
> Jonson (the problematic reference to the "Bermoothes" falls into the
> same category).
> JPW
> http://www.jpwearing.com

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