A Tempest is Brewing - LawnChair Theatre's 13th Season

Westchester, NY (July 3, 2018) - LawnChair Theatre, Westchester’s traveling Shakespeare company, is back for its 13th season with Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest. Under the auspices of the Rye Arts Center, and directed by LawnChair veteran Julie Thaxter-Gourlay, this classic comedy will be performed outdoors in parks in Rye City, Chappaqua, Rye Brook, New Rochelle, and Port Chester from July 19th to July 28th. All performances begin at 6:30 PM. Suggested donation: Adults - $20 / Seniors & Students - $10. Bring a picnic and your favorite lawn chair or blanket. Venues and dates are as follows:

• Thursday, July 19 Village Green, Rye City
• Friday, July 20 Recreation Field, Chappaqua
• Saturday, July 21 Pine Ridge Park, Rye Brook
• Sunday, July 22 Hudson Park, New Rochelle
• Thursday, July 26 Lyon Park, Port Chester
• Friday, July 27 Rye Town Park, Rye
• Saturday, July 28 Rye Town Park, Rye

The Tempest will be performed rain or shine. Rain venue information will be posted on our website, lawnchairtheatre.org by 1 PM on the date of the performance.

The Tempest, is a tragicomedy that begins with the titled storm at sea, in which the Queen of Naples and Duchess of Milan, along with their courtiers and crew, are shipwrecked. They come to shore on a magical island, populated by wizard Prospero, his daughter Miranda, and a crew of spirits and fantastic creatures. The castaways think the shipwreck was an accident, but Prospero knows better. This summer’s director, Julie Thaxter-Gourlay, has set the production on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an accidental floating island made from discarded plastic. The soundtrack pulses with reggae and dub beats.

LawnChair Theatre is excited about this summer’s offering, with its contemporary setting and its message of environmental awareness. Thaxter-Gourlay states, “The Tempest is a story of redemption, family, and forgiveness. Through magic, intrigue, comedy and music, the play takes us on a journey toward acceptance of loved ones, just as they are, and of our own imperfect selves. At a time when so many of us struggle with reconciliation and forgiveness in our own communities and families, this piece offers a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Produced by Amy Simmons and directed by Julie Thaxter-Gourlay (both of Port Chester), the cast of The Tempest is led by Peter Green (Port Chester) as “Prospero,” Hilary Webster (Greenwich) as “Miranda,” Rachel Schulte (Stamford) as “Ariel,” Mat Young (Norwalk, CT) as “Caliban,” Emily Vrissis (Stamford) as “Ferdinand,” Elizabeth Mialaret (New Rochelle) as “Queen Alonza,” Brady Amoonclark (Blauvelt) as “Antonia,” Owen Glassberg (Rye) as “Sebastian,” Bob Johnson (Port Chester) as “Gonzalo,” Alison Soderquist (Norwalk, CT) as “Trinculo,” David Ryan (Scarsdale) as “Stefano,” Quint Spitzer (New Rochelle) as “The Captain,” and Jon Lewis (Greenwich) as “The Boatswain.” The Company also includes Jillian Ferretti (Port Chester) as “Adrian”, Caroline Brody as “Francisca” (Rye), Robyn Jareth (New Rochelle) as lead dancer, Zoe Patterson (Rye) storm dancer, and youth actors Henry Thaxter-Gourlay (Port Chester), Savannah Hall (Darien), Isabelle Tiska (Monroe) and Jayah Calyanis (Stamford).

LawnChair Theatre, under the auspices of the Rye Arts Center, is Westchester’s outdoor traveling Shakespeare company, bringing summer performances to the parks of Westchester County since 2006. The company’s goal is to contemporize Shakespeare without rewriting him, and to create community through their work and play. They feature multi-generational casts that blend professionally trained and amateur performers. LawnChair Theatre’s co-founders Carin Zakes and Peter Green have produced, directed and acted in theatre in New York City, Westchester, and Fairfield county for over 30 years. You can contact Peter, Artistic Director, at peter@lawnchairtheatre.org, and Executive Producer, Carin Zakes at carin@lawnchairtheatre.org

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