Guthrie Theater

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced casting for William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, directed by former Artistic Director Joe Dowling, who returns to direct at the Guthrie for the first time since his tenure with the organization ended in 2015. Beloved Twin Cities artist Regina Marie Williams, who most recently appeared as the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Guthrie’s 2021 production of A Christmas Carol, is cast as Prospera.

The Tempest will play February 26 – April 16, 2022, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets start at $15 for preview performances (February 26 – March 3). All other performances range from $26 to $80. Tickets are on sale now through the Box Office at 612.377.2224, 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free) or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described, open-captioned and relaxed performances) are available on select dates. The Guthrie requires masks and proof of full vacation against COVID-19 for all audience members. For up-to-date information about the theater’s health and safety policies, visit www.guthrietheater.org/health.

Artistic Director Joseph Haj said, “Shakespeare’s famous line in The Tempest, ‘What’s past is prologue,’ feels fitting as we begin our 2021–2022 subscription season and reflect on the last two years. Everything we’ve been through as a world, nation and community acts as a prologue for what comes next.” Haj continued, “It is thrilling to have Joe Dowling back at the Guthrie helming this gorgeous production on the thrust stage and to share his brilliant approach to The Tempest with our audiences this season.”

The Tempest is often considered to be Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage. Toward the end of his career, he experimented with a new genre, now called the romance, which also includes Pericles, Cymbeline and The Winter’s Tale. Among the themes common to these plays are the relationships between parents, children and siblings, unworldly power or magic, marriage, music, justice, reconciliation and forgiveness.

In The Tempest, Prospera, the former Duchess of Milan, has spent many embittered years stranded on an island after being usurped by her ruthless brother, Antonio. But when she uses her magical powers to set an intricate revenge plot in motion, Prospera is caught between her desire to reclaim her rightful rule and her unwavering love for her daughter. It has been 30 years since The Tempest has been part of a Guthrie season. Three previous productions were mounted in 1970, directed by Philip Minor; in 1981, directed by Liviu Ciulei; and in 1991, directed by Jennifer Tipton.

The cast of The Tempest includes Cat Brindisi (Guthrie: Sunday in the Park With George, The Parchman Hour, South Pacific) as Iris/Francisca, David Darrow (Guthrie: Sunday in the Park With George, The Royal Family, The Parchman Hour) as Captain/Adrian/Ceres, Robert Dorfman (Guthrie: Frankenstein – Playing With Fire, Indecent, Sense and Sensibility) as Stephano, Lamar Jefferson (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet) as Boatswain, John Kroft (Guthrie: debut) as Ferdinand, Maya Lagerstam (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol) as Juno, Mark Mazzarella (Guthrie: Cyrano de Bergerac) as Mariner/Ariel’s Musician, Bill McCallum (Guthrie: West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, The Royal Family) as Sebastian, Laakan McHardy (Guthrie: debut) as Miranda, Tyler Michaels King (Guthrie: West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, My Fair Lady) as Ariel, Michelle O’Neill (Guthrie: The Royal Family, The Crucible, Skiing on Broken Glass) as Gonzala, Harry Smith (Guthrie: debut) as Caliban, William Sturdivant (Guthrie: Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Antonio, Angela Timberman (Guthrie: Guys and Dolls, As You Like It, The Royal Family) as Trinculo, Sky Turiello (Guthrie: debut) as Mariner/Spirit/Nymph, Regina Marie Williams (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Dining With the Ancestors, Guys and Dolls, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) as Prospera and Stephen Yoakam (Guthrie: BAD NEWS! i was there…, King Lear, The Crucible) as Alonso.

The creative team for The Tempest includes Joe Dowling (Director), Alexander Dodge (Scenic Designer), Ann Hould-Ward (Costume Designer), Xavier Pierce (Lighting Designer), Jane Shaw (Sound Designer), Keith Thomas (Music Director/Composer), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Andrew Wade (Voice and Dialect Coach), Maija García (Movement Director), Alessandra Bongiardina (Intimacy Coach), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Jason Clusman (Stage Manager), Kathryn Sam Houkom (Assistant Stage Manager) and Eshay Brantley (Assistant Director).

Joe Dowling (Director) began his career as an actor at Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theater, eventually becoming the youngest Artistic Director of the Abbey in 1978. He also founded and directed the Gaiety School of Acting, Ireland’s first theater school. In 1995, he became Artistic Director at the Guthrie Theater where he served for 20 years and oversaw the building of its current three-stage complex on the banks of the Mississippi River. Dowling has directed extensively in his native Ireland, on Broadway, in London’s West End and at many theaters in the U.S. and Canada. He holds honorary degrees from several universities, including National University of Ireland, University of Minnesota, Gonzaga University and University of St. Thomas. Dowling was originally scheduled to direct Noël Coward’s Private Lives for the Guthrie’s 2020‒2021 Season, but the entire lineup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Events

Relaxed Performance – Sunday, March 27 at 1 p.m.
Relaxed performances are designed for patrons who may benefit from a more relaxed and judgment-free theatergoing experience. They are intentionally modified to accommodate patrons with sensory and vestibular sensitivities, anxiety, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, learning differences or challenges attending the theater. Single tickets to the relaxed performance of The Tempest are $29 for adults and $15 for children. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 612.377.2224. For more information, visit www.guthrietheater.org/relaxed.

Shakespeare Classic – Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m.
This popular event was designed to introduce theater-loving youth to the enduring works of Shakespeare. Tickets to this performance are $10 and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 612.377.2224. Every order must have at least one adult (but no more than two adults) per young person between the ages of 10 and 17.

Health and Safety Update
All audience members, regardless of age, must wear a mask and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, plus a valid photo ID (for ticket holders under age 18, a school photo ID or an official school document with the student’s name is an acceptable form of ID). A negative COVID-19 test will not be accepted. A complete list of Guthrie requirements for masking and vaccination are available at www.guthrietheater.org/health.

Land Acknowledgment
The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, restaurants and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org