NewsAboutProductionsPressContactDirector Ethan McSweeny, whose strength as a classical imagist has been on display in the past in works such as Aeschylus's "The Persians," here offers a wise and alluring take on Shakespeare…- Peter Marks, The Washington Post
McSweeny's productions at the Shakespeare Theatre Company have become must-see events. [His] work is, by turns, ambitious, showy, electrifying and spectacular.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
A high water Mark…..A beautifully realized production directed by Ethan McSweeny, the show is a powerful reminder of the reasons to go to the theater in the first place.- Landon Randolph, The DCist
The glorious Tempest of Ethan McSweeny; reminds us why art is important, and how it enriches our lives...McSweeny captures the shimmering mystery at the heart of Shakespeare's play; wondrous, evanescent, and full of deep meaning.-Sophia Howes, DC Metro Theatre Arts
A brilliant new vision of the play...McSweeny and his team include all the complexity that Shakespeare gave The Tempest, and they do it in a refreshingly new way.- Barbara Mackay, Theatermania
The production is lush, soaring, full of silhouette and shadow, and above all, richly theatrical.- Andrew Lapin, Washington City Paper
The stellar production design would have made Prospero (and Shakespeare) proud. Lee Savage's set ingeniously brings the action forward-stage, and frames it within a proscenium-like half-shell of Ozymandian ruins. The prominent hillock of sand and striking ship wreckage stays center-stage throughout, seamlessly integrated into each locale.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
It's Davies's spirit, however, that sets the benevolent tone of this "Tempest," which begins with an impressive storm, and moves with considerable grace and speed toward a climax of comeuppance and reconciliation.- Peter Marks, The Washington Post
His connection with his daughter is touchingly warm, and a complex relationship with Ariel is given new dimensions. In his reflective moments he is vulnerable; his ever-present power gives way to a creeping awareness of advancing age. It's a precise, fully-realized picture, a penetrating depiction of an iconic figure.- Landon Randolph, The DCist
...the otherworldly Ariel, played by Sofia Jean Gomez, in an effervescent, almost entirely airborne performance …The puckish Gomez spends the play omnipotently soaring above the action, tethered to a rope, the symbol of her contract with her master Prospero.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
McSweeny's Ariel is served by a legion of assistant Ariels; one has seen this conceit before, but never developed quite so fluidly. With Gomez suspended above in her supervisory capacity, the fairy ensemble is unleashed to carry out the enchantments.- Peter Marks, The Washington Post
A culminating masque, accompanied by singer Nancy Anderson, reaffirms McSweeny's sophisticated sense of spectacle…the gods Iris, Ceres and Juno… are embodied here in an eye-filling parade, as puppets…each of more massive scale than the one before.- Peter Marks, The Washington Post
This Tempest is a potent brew that is both hypnotic and fragile.- Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
[The Masque is] a wonderfully evocative scene, lifted aloft by the angelic voice of singer Nancy Anderson, and in its totality, completely in line with McSweeny's penchant for painting bold, fresh strokes when reanimating the Shakespeare canon.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
McSweeny knows how to tell a story on stage that is crystal-clear in its language, powerful in its focus, and beautiful to look at, paced like scenes from a particularly swift movie.- Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
Clifton Duncan gives a nuanced performance as Caliban, hinting at the complexity of his character and, despite his brutality, his capacity for growth…- Sophia Howes, DC Metro Arts
The subtlety of Duncan’s performance makes this Caliban a striking and unique creation.- Sophia Howes, DC Metro Arts
[Rachel Mewbron's] Miranda… [is] played with verve and the kind of frisky, smart sexiness that is all the more appealing for being totally spontaneous.- Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
This "Tempest," too, feels as if it's a valentine to good parenting. The relationship forged between Davies and Mewbron, in a beguiling turn as Miranda, comes across as an affectionately evolved bond.- Peter Marks, The Washington Post
Liam Craig (Trinculo) reminds us of the very best of Shakespeare’s clowns; it is impossible not to laugh, even when he simply walks onstage.
Through it all, actor Ted van Griethuysen, as the stalwart, kind and steady retainer, is a wonder. We have seen him it seems through his whole life, marching through it with his roles.- Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner
It's hard to imagine a better production of The Tempest than this. It is full of a warmth and nuance that mark a truly excellent production.- Landon Randolph, The DCist
[McSweeny's] attentive wonderworks refresh the appeal of Shakespeare's work while retaining the fidelity and beauty of the language.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) has another hit on its hands. The Tempest, directed superbly by Ethan McSweeny, makes for a great evening in the theater. McSweeny once again shows us how talented he is.- Peter Rosenstein, The Georgetown Dish
The Tempest is delightfully artful from beginning to end, employing both modesty and spectacle to best effect…from the gorgeous backdrop illustrating the eponymous storm at sea…- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
...to the sculptural desert isle set, the low comedy of the fools to the sprite Ariel's high-flying act.- Roy Maurer, DC Theatre Scene
Sets - Lee Savage
Lights - Christopher Akerlind
Costumes - Jennifer Moeller
Sound - Nevin Steinberg
Composer - Jenny Giering
Choreography - Matthew Gardiner