The Tempest-Response Essay

The geographic location was made clear form the beginning by the scenery that was present on stage. The wood planking, chests, crates, and mast-like column combined with the water reflection lighting effect presented a location of a port or dock. While onboard the ships, a miniature model of the corresponding ship was constantly being held up by an actor and made to look as if it was sailing, to reinforce that the ship was where the scene was taking place. The flashing lights and rumbling sheets of metal made it obvious that the current circumstances were taking place during a storm whereas the later sunbeam spotlight made it clear that it was morning and sunny. The opening monologue of the play laid out the setting verbally, confirming suspicions

This was partly because of how much I enjoyed the production and partly because of the way some scenes were set up by using a monologue, almost as if the play was still in book form. Sometimes, transferring the passages in a book that express thoughts or non-dialogue information is hard to transfer to a visual production, but the way this was incorporated into the play and directed at the audience worked really well.
Using a male actor for the nanny simply added to the humor factor and it helped set Molly apart even more because while she was the only female character, she was the only female actor. When there was more gender-bending with the mermaids that opened act two, I felt it didn’t fit in as much, though I really appreciate that Black Stash made a comment that addressed the absurdity of the scene. I felt it went a bit too far in its silliness and didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the play, though the characters themselves clearly seemed to think the same