Forest City, Iowa – The Waldorf Theatre Company kicks off its summer tour with a presentation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Lund Pond on Waldorf College’s campus on Monday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m.
A story of freedom, repentance, and forgiveness, the play centers on the magician Prospero and his daughter Miranda. Banished to a deserted island, Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm and ship wreck the men responsible for his banishment on the same island. Various plots against the main characters fail throughout the play, with all forgiven in the end.
“We decided on The Tempest for the tour because it’s a play seldom done in the area and one that many students do not know well,” explained Dr. David Sollish, Waldorf Theatre Company director and assistantprofessor of theatre. “It is a fun play set outside on an island and can easily be presented in 45 minutes.”
The Waldorf Theatre Company goes on summer tour May 19 through June 7, presenting the show in schools, parks, and theaters in Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit, as well as Mason City and Clear Lake, among others.
Students serve as both cast and crew members for the performances, which Sollish believes will help teach them what it takes to part of a small acting company. “I hope they will learn the fun of traveling and playing for many different types of audiences,” said Sollish. “The students will learn, in part, what it means to be a professional actor out on a regional tour.”
While a majority of the students in the ensemble are theatre majors, all students are welcome to join the Waldorf College Theatre Company.
The Tempest Cast:
Joshua Boone of Norfolk, Nebraska
Dominique Forte of Skokie, Illinois
Phillip Koolhoven of Redlands, California
Kristin Lanier of Dallas, Texas
Chelsey Shreeve of Cottrellville, Michigan
Kelsey Sollish of Carlinville, Illinois
Deci Westbrook of Norfolk, Virginia
Emily Wiebke of Britt, Iowa
