Naked, All-Female Shakespeare Returns Next Month

The free, all-female, mostly nude production of The Tempest that received international attention and sparked debate about the role of body freedom in women's empowerment this May will be returning to New York this September. Presented by Torn Out Theater, the production celebrates body freedom and uses storytelling to normalize the nude female form. After the play's previous staging in Central Park, the company is thrilled to bring the play to the community of Brooklyn and the natural beauty of Prospect Park.

The initial run of The Tempest was hailed as "liberating" (Huffington Post) and "brave and beautiful" (Salon). Feminist website Jezebel described the production as "playing with nudity to explore notions about propriety, civilization, wildness and freedom," and the Independent added, "in such a busy and eccentric city as New York, these women are braver than most."

Theater-goers are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes prior to curtain time as seating is first-come-first-served. No tickets are required for this free production. Prospect Park's Music Pagoda has limited bleacher seating available, and Audience members wishing to sit on the lawn are welcome to bring picnic blankets.

The production is directed by Pitr Strait. Alice Mottola, who co-directed the original production with Strait, will return to the team as Consulting Director.The performance will feature a cast of eight actors and three dancers, with costume design by Enée Olson and assistant direction by Alexander Katz. The production is produced by Torn Out Theater, and the initial production was produced in association with the Outdoor Co-Ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society.

"In nearly all of his plays, Shakespeare touched in one way or another on the collision between old and new, ordinary and radical," said Strait, a graduate of Columbia as well as The New School for Drama. "His final play is no exception. Because of that, The Tempest will always speak to an audience ready for new ideas. We hope our audience will leave our Tempest as transformed as our characters."

The play's selective use of nudity to dramatize The Tempest's central themes of identity and liberation builds on a long tradition of free expression in theatrical productions held in outdoor settings. Past productions performed in New York parks, including Hair and Henry V, have featured full nudity in a similarly artistic, non-sexual context. Furthering that tradition, this production uses nudity to communicate a broader message about body freedom, equality and open-mindedness.

"The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's best-known and best-loved plays, but we want the audience to see it through fresh eyes, as 'something rich and strange,' the way an audience four hundred years ago would have," said Ms. Mottola. A graduate of Barnard College with a degree in biology, Ms. Mottola's studies have also included acting, literature, and computer science. "To this end, we are very excited to make organic use of the natural resources we have: this beautiful natural setting in Prospect Park and the natural forms of our performers."

The show will run September 7, 8, 9, and 10 at 5:30pm at Music Pagoda in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Free. Seating is available on a first-come-first-served basis.