The Tempest images
The nature of our Downstage ramp is easier to understand if you view it from the side. The peak is about 2 feet above the deck. Tom has installed invisible steps so performers can mount the ramp anywhere. Michael, our Caliban, is treating the "pit" in the middle as his personal hot tub, but we all know he is just acting, because no one else gets wet from lying in it.
The next two images may not be suitable for visitors with delicate constitutions. You have been warned.
The big tree, shown at left, gets more hair-raising every day that designer Tom works on it. You can see its hand at bottom, the thumb extending away from you. We believe the faces belong to Spirits captured in the tree. Ariel was clearly the lucky one. Way up at the top of the picture on the right you can see spindly branches, which don't yet have leaves.
The Spirits, those allowed to move around freely, travel up and down the tree to get to their Stage Left ramp. The knuckles and thumb are load-bearing. The culvert dealie that one or two of them use is visible just below the thumb.
At right is the stump where the sorcerer's Book will rest. A lot of technical stuff has to fit inside, so it's pretty big. I don't know what the final look will be, whether the stump will have features or just bark. Zack and Mitch and one or two others built the stump; Clint and Becky made a great start at dressing it.
You may think I'm giving away too much. Trust me, I'm not spoiling anything for you. The show opens Sept. 22 and you'll find it full of surprises and, possibly, delights. And if you wake up in a cold sweat after seeing it, well, that'll be a new Shakespeare experience, won't it?
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