As the first leaf falls, the curtain rises, and the JHS theatre department begins work on its first production of the season. This year, the play is The Tempest by William Shakespeare. English teacher and theatre director Jeremy “Fitz” Fitzpatrick will be directing this show.

“High school students can do Shakespeare and do it well, and do it in a way people understand,” Fitz said.

Written in the early 1600s, The Tempest combines elements of romance, magic, and political intrigue. Prospero, the exiled duke of Milan, uses his magic to conjure a tempest in order to shipwreck his usurping brother, Antonio. Throughout, the play explores themes of monstrosity, obedience, and the transformative nature of art and creation.

“I’m leaning towards this idea of redemption. Redemption and forgiveness kind of go hand in hand. It starts off with wanting revenge and then realizing through the show that that’s not necessarily the best way or the best thing to happen to individuals,” Fitz said.

When it comes to performing Shakespeare, there is little information about the characters and setting, which means that the director has to make lots of creative decisions. Fitz has chosen to create a dark circus theme to set the scene of this story.

“A lot of [creative decisions] are dictated when we get into the rehearsal process with how students are able to internalize the material,” Fitz said.

The inspiration for this setting comes from lots of brainstorming about themes and representation throughout the show, along with looking at different performances and related pieces of media.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t want to set Shakespearean shows in Shakespearean times. So, I just kind of go ‘what works with this show?’ When I read the shows I just start trying to brainstorm ‘how will this work?’,” Fitz said.

Not setting Shakespeare in the 1500’s, or Shakespearean times, does more than just create an interesting visual. It creates a story which is easier to understand for audience members who haven’t studied The Tempest.

“Shakespeare is more than just the language, it is the physicality, it is telling the story through the use of all of the elements of theatre,” Fitz said.

Shakespeare is more than just understanding old English. Being able to understand the themes throughout the show and applying them to current times is where the value in these plays come in.