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. 

“I want to bring an understanding of Shakespearean theatre to students and the community to help people understand that Shakespeare’s messages still ring true today, even though they’re over thousands of years old,” Fitz said.

This isn’t the only goal Fitz has in mind when directing these shows, he also wants to show the community that high schoolers can perform Shakespeare; and they can do it well.

“It’s one of the things we discovered with Macbeth, we were able to tell the story in a way that people understood what was going on, even if they didn’t understand the language,” Fitz said. 

Throughout the process of the shows he has directed throughout the years, he has made a monumental impact on the theatre community and the students he has directed. Sophomore Ren Hansen is one of the students who feels that this community has made an impact on them.

“I hope [by the end of the show] to feel very fulfilled. I want to make more friendships and strengthen my old ones,” Hansen said.