The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Directed by David M. Jenkins
Extended! Jan. 19 – Feb. 11 + Feb. 17 – 18, 2018
Tickets: $29.50
Preview Performances: Jan. 17 – 18 | Tickets: $15
Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Thank You
The Tempest is supported locally by Healthy Agile. Our education initiatives are made possible in part by a gift from Yann and Susana Weymouth.
Theatre Tampa Bay Award
- Outstanding Performance by an Actress while hanging upside down on a silk – Katrina Stevenson
Theatre Tampa Bay Nominated
- Outstanding Music Direction – Jeremy Douglass
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play – DeQuan Mitchell & Giles Davies
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Play – Roxanne Fay & Katrina Stevenson
- Outstanding Costume Design – Katrina Stevenson
- Outstanding Sound Design – David M. Jenkins
- Outstanding Ensemble
Jobsite is thrilled to continue our commitment to making the Bard accessible to regional audiences with this delightful fantasy. Our production reimagines the character of Prospero as a woman, to be played by Jobsite ensemble veteran Roxanne Fay. Roxanne has previously been seen in our humble cockpit as Touchstone in As You Like It, Feste in Twelfth Night, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing as well as Madame in our Best of the Bay Award winning production of The Maids.
Jobsite will perform to middle and high schools during weekday special field trip performances between Jan. 31 and Feb. 15. Even our regularly scheduled performances are the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for young theatergoers and families! Please call 813.222.1047 to learn more about our weekday matinees for middle and high schoolers, or to book your group of 10 or more!
What It’s About
On a distant island a woman waits. Robbed of her position, power, and wealth her enemies have left her in isolation. But this is no ordinary woman, nor an ordinary island. She is a magician, able to control the very elements and bend nature to her will. When the vessel carrying those who wronged her appears in the distance, she creates a vast magical storm to bring them to her – then they awake finding themselves in a place where nothing is as it seems.
Read more about the synopsis of The Tempest.
We believe Shakespeare is meant to be seen, not read. Jobsite’s productions of Shakespeare are audience-centric, accessible, and exciting. The themes of greed and ambition, revenge and retribution are timeless, and so is the idea that we must do what society tells us, for better or worse, lest we endure the consequences. This production is sure to delight audiences 8 to 80 with the way it embraces play, the imagination, and the magic of live performance.
Age appropriateness: we’re usually pretty loathe to tell other people what’s acceptable or not for their children, but the regularly scheduled mainstage performances for The Tempest includes some PG / PG-13 bits of crude physical humor. These bits are toned down for the weekday on-school time matinees that we are performing for middle and high school audiences.
Why We Chose It
We love the opportunities that this play gives us to create theatrical “magic” on stage – two of the main characters are a mysterious creature and a magical spirit. We get to create storms and enchantments on stage. The story and characters are powerful, and our female-led cast allows us a unique way to tell this story.About The Playwright
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is usually considered the greatest playwright of the English language. Often referred to as “the Bard of Avon”, Shakespeare’s work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other shorter poems. His troupe, known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, was led by Richard Burbage and gained the respect of Queen Elizabeth I. After Elizabeth’s death, King James I took the throne, and Shakespeare’s troupe won his favor and took the name The King’s Men. He retired back to Stratford in 1613. His plays might have never been published, if not for the work of two actor’s from Shakespeare’s company who compiled his plays in 1623, after his death, in what is known as The First Folio. Still today, Shakespeare’s plays are produced more than any other playwright, and have been translated into every major living language and studied by people worldwide.
Media
BWW Review: Jobsite’s ALICE
“a feast for the eyes, and an energetic spectacle that keeps you wanting more … an ensemble brainchild of the one company in the area known for harnessing the weird, the avant-garde …You’ll have a wicked good time” – BroadwayWorld
ALICE review, Kulturspiegel
Thanks to Susanne Nielsen of the German Radio Show and Kulturspiegel for sharing this review of Jobsite’s ALICE — both in English and German: Just
Director’s Notes: Jobsite’s ALICE
Producing Artistic Director David M, Jenkins talks about the process of Jobsite’s ALICE and his hopes for the show.
ALICE inspirational playlist
Music inspiring the key creatives working on our production of Jobsite’s ALICE, on stage through June 4.
Videos: Jobsite’s ALICE
We’ve created a showcase where you can one-step shop for your peeks at Jobsite’s ALICE! Keep up with the process, get BTS looks and more!
Cast & Crew
- David M. Jenkins – Director
- Brian M. Smallheer – Technical Director
- Vivian Rodriguez – Stage Manager
Cast
- Cornelio Aguilera – Francisco
- Emily Belvo – Miranda
- Giles Davies* – Caliban
- India Davison – Adrian
- Roxanne Fay* – Prospero
- Alvin Jenkins – Alonso
- Nicole Maahs – Sebastian
- Michael Mahoney – Gonzalo
- DeQuan Mitchell – Ferdinand
- Derrick Phillips – Trinculo
- Brian Shea – Antonio
- Ward G. Smith* – Stephano
- Katrina Stevenson – Ariel
Crew
- Jeremy Douglass – Composer
- Ryan Ehrhart – Charge Artist / Scenic Crew
- Samantha Ehrnman – Charge Artist
- David M. Jenkins – Co-Scenic Designer / Sound Designer / Video Design / Dramaturg
- Kristen Kochanik Garza – Charge Artist / Scenic Crew
- Brian M. Smallheer – Co-Scenic Designer / Lighting Designer
- Katrina Stevenson – Costume Designer
Patron Reviews
- What a wonderful show. The use of the images on the back screen brought both the real- and the spirit-world of the play to a level I had never experienced in the two other times I’ve seen this play. Without question this is the best version of The Tempest most theatregoers will see in their lifetimes. But it is not just because of the technical excellence. I have told you many times before that Jobsite provides the experiences that make us love the theatre. Jobsite’s The Tempest shows us why art matters. Everything comes together in this show to deliver us the full meaning of Picasso’s insight: Art is the lie that brings us the truth. Prospero is a truer character as a mother. Miranda is better understood as having spent 20 years with her than how she might be having spent the same time with a father. This also makes the meeting of Ferdinand make more sense—he is the first man she’s ever seen. Performances, too, make the art here remarkable. Katrina and Giles always go fully into their roles, but this show brings levels of their skill we had not seen before. The continual low guttural vocal quality of Caliban gives an otherworldly element to his character, and the grace of Ariel on her silks was spectacular. I cannot imagine how she maintained that physical work and didn’t lose her breath to speak. They were both better than I had ever seen them. Roxanne, as always, was poised as Prospero, and, especially from our seat, engaged her face and eyes with precision at every conversational moment. Every word she speaks sounds as natural as if it is coming from her mind brand new, like actual conversation. She also was excellent. (I see in the playbill that she was once Nurse Ratched. That must have been one scary performance!) The comic elements were also terrific: Brian and Derrick are very good in those roles, but this is the first time we’ve seen Ward Smith, and his Stephano was lively and properly tempered. That I've left out some names is not to mean they did not delight. This was an ensemble of excellence. Thanks for this. We always enjoy our nights at Jobsite, but last night Cheryl and I were thrilled from the storm to the Epilogue. I will tell all of my friends. – Ben and Cheryl Graffam
- the whole family saw the transcendent preview of this thing Wednesday night. It’s ... Well, it’s sorta ... I can’t even ... describe it. It’s the f*cking Tempest and it’s pure solid blue magic. Get your tickets now — this one’s gonna sell out once the word of mouth gets cooking. – Ned Averill-Snell
- We saw the show Sunday and were absolutely enthralled! Roxanne M. Fay as Prospero is a role she was born to play! Giles Davies as Calaban was wonderful and Katrina Stevenson aerial performance was nothing short of breathtaking! Here’s hoping for continued sell outs! – Lori Pate
- What an absolutely wonderful performance. I was fortunate enough to see this last weekend with my good friend, Caroline Jett. If I had the time, I would have LOVED to see it again. Giles, your athleticism was amazing to behold. Emily, your innocence was beautiful and touched me. To the rest of the cast...just wow. What a masterpiece!! – Monica Tellez-Daly
- Set design, lighting, sound, projections, costumes, acting! What a fantastic production! – Melissa Salazar (@monkeysue1278)
- From movement to meter, nobody beats @jobsitetheater when it comes to Shakespeare! Another fabulous production, making the Bard accessible to Tampa Bay through Feb 11. – stephemera (@stephemera)
- Bravo, @jobsitetheater – Julie (@Julie_in_FL)
- The show was magical! – Monica Cross (@theroaringgirl)
- solutely amazing - some of the best theater in Tampa Bay this season - Do Not Miss This!!! – Frank Wells (@imfmw3)
- Just... wow. So good. – Becca McCoy (@ActorBeccaMcCoy)
- the kids had a great time today. They really loved it. Thanks so much. – james durban (@Conduitlife)
- FANTASTIC PRODUCTION! Great job everyone! - @jbsmom2003
- Thank you for a lovely experience and thank you for doing Shakespeare.
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Jobsite rocked it ... again! I am always so proud to see my talented, SUPER talented friends in action. The Tempest is worth seeing y’all
’s freakin’ Shakespeare...go! And Katrina Stevenson? Just go people. – Jonathan Harrison
- It was fantastic, man - truly! Congratulations! – Ryan Sturm
- Tonight, I saw the best show that I have seen so far at Jobsite. I have been coming to see shows here for six years, and while I love all of the shows they do, this one was on a totally different plain. It was truly magical. I laughed so hard I cried, and I was moved to tears as well, especially at the end. I didn't want it to be over. This is why I'm an actor, so that I can create in my work even a tenth of the verve, energy, charisma, humor, and pathos that was present on that stage tonight. To everyone who was in the show and worked on it, I am proud to know you and I am so proud of you. From the bottom of my heart, bravo, and have an exceptional run. You deserve every standing ovation I know you're going to get. – Julia Rudgers
- I have always loved The Tempest and have never seen it performed until tonight. Jobsite Theater's production is nothing short of magical. Katrina Stevenson can not only CRUSH Shakespeare but she can do it upside down, dropping from the ceiling, covered in Unicorn Snot because she is a super human. This cast/production was marvelous and you should totally go see it. – Colleen Cherry
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Go see this!
Congrats to the magical cast and crew! – Zachary Hines
- Absolutely beautiful production. Congratulations – Alan Mohney, Jr.
- DUDES. This was an incredible piece of art. Go see it. You can thank me later. – Victoria Rios
- We saw the show on Saturday night and loved it! Roxanne Fay commands the stage as Prospero with the support of an outstanding cast. We especially loved the acrobatic artistry of Katrina Stevenson as Ariel and Giles Davies otherworldly take on Calaban! This is definitely a must see! – Michael Alford
- I really enjoyed Jobsite Theater’s The Tempest, which, appropriately, I saw on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The visual media, the music, and the set all conspired to take the viewer to a mystical place, but, as in all good plays, the ensemble did the heavy lifting. Giles Davies’ Caliban wasn’t heavy and bound to the earth as some Calibans I’ve seen – rather, his ‘mooncalf’ was a sinewy creature, at once goat and monkey and, as fits the tone of the piece, more whimsical than threatening. When I heard that Katrina Stevenson would be performing a very aerial Ariel, I was just a bit skeptical – my wife is an aerialist of no small talent and I have some idea how demanding that craft is; would the circus arts hijack the story? Would she have enough breath to voice Ariel’s exquisite lines while posed, after climbs and controlled falls? I was thrilled and amazed at just how well she did exactly that – if I felt ambiguous about the decision to record and broadcast the spirit’s songs, that’s a small price to pay for an Ariel who not only radiates magic and goodwill but actually *fucking flies.* She might have stolen the show had not Roxanne Fay turned in such a solid, layered, engaging Prospero. Her ‘witched’ wizard could have been distracting or self conscious, but in her steady hand it was neither of those things. There’s something maternal about Prospero as written, and this helps the alchemy, but Fay’s performance deserves the ultimate credit for making the gender switch seamless; her Prospero is, at turns, warm, threatening and melancholy, but always compelling. Kudos to director David Jenkins for bringing this all together so well. One of Jobsite’s best. You still have a few opportunities to see this show - don’t miss out, or you’ll deserve your cramps. – Chris Buehlman
- Can't wait to see it again! - @dolcepane
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