Lantern Theater Company Announces Filmed Version Of 2018's THE TEMPEST

Lantern Theater Company continues its reimagined 2020/21 season with a filmed version of its 2018 mainstage production of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon, and streaming May 4 - 30, 2021.

Part of the company's new Plays from the Lantern Archives series that celebrates some of the finest productions from recent seasons brought vividly back to life on screen, The Tempest was professionally filmed with a live theater audience by the Lantern's Emmy Award-winning partners at Natural Light Films during its original 2017/18 season run.

The production features an ensemble cast of Lantern veterans, including Chris Anthony, Peter DeLaurier, J Hernandez, Dave Johnson, John Lopes, Bi Jean Ngo, Ruby Wolf, and Frank X. Tickets and additional information are available online at www.lanterntheater.org.

Believed to be his final solo play, The Tempest shows Shakespeare working at an unparalleled level of creativity, psychological complexity, and with a staggering command of his unique poetic gifts. Set on an enchanted island and teeming with poetry that brings the roiling sea to heel, this tale of magic, betrayal, and reconciliation examines what happens when one ruler is exiled, his successor washed up on shore, and both must choose between conflict and reconciliation. Can old grievances lead to new hope or are we compelled to repeat our past sins? In the great comic fable of his artistic maturity, Shakespeare explores how the choices we make lead to unexpected consequences. Power becomes magic. Exile leads to revenge. Love paves a path to reconciliation, and poetry triumphs over all. By turns frightening, funny, and staggeringly beautiful, The Tempest ranks among the finest plays ever written.

"Shakespeare's great farewell to the theater is a transfixing combination of adventure, comedy, fantasy, and fairy tale," noted Charles McMahon during the production's original 2018 run. "The inner struggle between the forces of vengeance and forgiveness gives rise to some of the most beautiful and memorable language Shakespeare ever wrote. The author embodies himself in the great magician Prospero, investing this story with layers of deep revelations about the human mind and heart, which in the end lead us into still greater mysteries."

Likely written in 1610-11, The Tempest was first performed in 1611 and in 1623 was entered into the Stationers' Register, a record book for printers and publishers. It is believed to be inspired in part by accounts of the Sea Venture, a British ship that wrecked on Bermuda in 1609 while en route to Jamestown. All crew and passengers survived and lived on the island for ten months, and their stories began to reach London by 1610. Like many of Shakespeare's later plays, The Tempest is classified as a "romance," meaning that it is neither comedy nor tragedy - though it contains elements of both. The romances all contain supernatural elements and usually resolve from averted tragedy into forgiveness.

Tickets for The Tempest are $15 per household/device and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Ticket buyers will receive an email confirmation with full instructions and a private ticket access link, which will provide on-demand access to The Tempest for one viewing during the May 4 - 30, 2021 streaming period.

The play can be viewed on most internet-connected devices with email/web browser access, including desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and select smart TVs. The Lantern Box Office will be accessible by phone and email for extended hours throughout the streaming period to provide assistance. A Digital Shakespeare Pass is also available for $28, which includes one ticket for The Tempest and Coriolanus (streaming June 1 - 27, 2021).

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