The casting has been announced for the Northern Stage, Oxford Playhouse and Improbable co-production of The Tempest.
Directed by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott (Shockheaded Peter, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Satyagraha), the creative team includes set and costume designer Becs Andrews (Through His Teeth, Royal Opera House), original music by Brendan Murphy (Lands of Glass, Unfolding Theatre) and lighting design by Colin Grenfell (The Crucible, West Yorkshire Playhouse).
Tyrone Huggins (RSC, National Theatre, Eastenders) will play Prospero. He wrote and starred in The Honey Man (Birmingham Rep), the critically acclaimed story of an ageing Caribbean recluse who tries in vain to save "Miranda" (his colony of bees), drawing parallels with Shakespeare’s magical tale of revenge, love and, ultimately, forgiveness. He was also one of a group of high profile writers announced for Eclipse Theatre Company’s Revolution Mix—a three-year equality initiative to bring Black British stories to regional theatres—in which Northern Stage is a partner, along with the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman and Bristol Old Vic among others.
He is joined by Jade Ogugua as Miranda (The Guilty, ITV), Eileen Walsh as Ariel (The Magdalene Sisters), Tony Bell as Stephano (Oh, The Humanity, Northern Stage), Peter Peverley as Caliban (a founder member of the Northern Stage ensemble), John Paul Connolly as Alonso (Richard III, Shakespeare's Globe, West End and Broadway), Hannah McPake as Trinculo (The Gamblers, Greyscale), Gary Kitching as Antonio (Oh What a Lovely War, Northern Stage) and Christopher Price as Ferdinand (Catch-22, Northern Stage).
“Of all Shakespeare's plays,” said McDermott, “it’s great to return to Northern Stage to direct the first play I was ever in as a teenager. We have a strong ensemble of actors who will work in our unique Improbable style. We will be aiming to bring the text alive making a show that will be different every night yet true to the heart of this magical and unusual play—I want to do justice to the text because it’s a fantastic play, but I’d like to feel that we’ll create our own Tempest.”
Northern Stage Artistic Director Lorne Campbell said, “bringing Phelim to Northern Stage to direct The Tempest is part of our ongoing commitment to getting some of the finest directors in the world to direct for the company and to present work here, following on from Rachel Chavkin (Catch-22) and the presentation of the Krymov Ensemble (Opus No.7) in 2014. Improbable’s work manages to combine being very funny, playful and accessible with a sophisticated theatricality and great skill in its use of text.”
The Tempest is at Northern Stage from 25 September until 10 October before transferring to Oxford Playhouse from 14 to 24 October. Tickets are now on sale.