NASHUA, N.H.— White sails ripple in the breeze on the Greeley Park bandstand as Assistant Stage Manager Janis Costa Deedy passes out blue Gatorades. Nashua Theatre Guild actors lounge on the grass, taking a break from an 84-degree rehearsal for Shakespeare's The Tempest. The actors are upbeat and enthusiastic despite the heat, and director Valerie Wisneski is excited to bring the Guild's annual Shakespeare in the Park to Nashua.
The story of The Tempest centers around the character of Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, and how he reacts to being trapped on an island. He conjures up a violent storm in an attempt to regain his throne.
"I love Shakespeare," Wisneski says. "I wrote my dissertation about the relevance of Shakespeare today. We are looking at magic versus technology in this play. What I'm trying to show the audience is this: How far is too far in the pursuit of knowledge? The main character, Prospero, does what he thinks is correct, but he's using technology for reasons that are not great. For this play, the technology is the use of magic. This parallels the use of artificial intelligence of today. It's an increasingly relevant topic."
Prospero is brought to life by actor Colin Principe, who most recently starred in Nashua Theatre Guild's spring production, The Littlefield Gazette Does Not End Today.
"I love Shakespeare," Principe says. "I've always wanted a lead role, and I'm happy to be in this play. I'm very thankful to Val, our director. Prospero has a lot of lines, and one of the challenges is remembering the order of the words in Elizabethan English. But the cast says I'm doing great. So are they. I love working with them."
Andrea Hansgen, one of the actors playing Ariel, agrees with Principe. "Rehearsal has been so much fun, and very collaborative. Val has good ideas. Her vision is so beautiful."
Appearing with Nashua Theatre Guild for the first time is Jenna Costa Deedy, who stepped into the role of Boatswain the ship officer. The transition from cosplayer to actor was a natural one for her, and she has enjoyed bringing a new role to life. "This is an art form just like cosplaying."
"She's so enthusiastic about it," says her sister Janis. "It's nice. We used to do dance together, but this is the first time we've ever worked together in a play."
Catherine Sweet, playing the role of Sebastian, has loved Shakespeare since childhood. "My family used to take me to go watch Shakespeare in a park in Cape Cod," she recalls. When I was three, I got called up on stage to play the role of Puck, and that made me fall in love with Shakespeare. I love The Tempest. It's been a lot of fun meeting new people and acting in something new."
The Tempest is free and runs on Fridays and Saturdays from July 31 to August 8 at Greeley Park, 100 Concord Street, Nashua. Bring a chair or blanket and some snacks and enjoy Nashua Theatre Guild's annual Shakespeare in the Park.
Friday, July 31: 7:00pm
Saturday, August 1: 2:00 and 7:00pm
Friday, August 7: 7:00pm
Saturday, August 8: 2:00 and 7:00pm
