“Conveying Emotions and Awareness through Drama: The Tempest Reimagined Review”
The Tempest, a play written by William Shakespeare himself was adapted in the Philippine setting by the Philippine Educational Theater Association, titled The Tempest: Reimagined, and speaks of the super typhoon Yolanda when it hit the country and the great damage it caused to the Filipinos. Emotions swirled within the stage brought by the actors themselves, the effects of both lighting and sound systems, and the dramatic use of two languages employed in the play which helped in the development and height of expressing the emotions that the play aims the viewers to experience.
STAGE DESIGN AND COSTUMES.
The word Tempest means …show more content…
From the storm brewing to the happiness felt at the end of the story, and moving to the specificities of the play, the lighting and sound are important elements in drawing certain emotions from the audience that the play desired to gain. The fierce boom of thunder and the snapping sound of lighting, resonating and bouncing on each corner of the setting might have raised the emotions of fear and anticipation of what is to come or what can happen from this tempest conjured by Prospero.
A scene from the play shows the urgency and rapid elevation of tempo and the actors’ dramatic performance of agitation and fear during the part of the Yolanda survivors where they search for those (family…) that has been separated from them. There was also the sense of confusion of where they are heading—the feelings of loss and disorientation that victims of any disaster can feel. Quoting from the play itself, these are some of the lines that expressed the emotions mentioned through the actors’ repetitive mumbling and sudden outburst on the stage: o “Saan tayo patutungo!” o “Help me someone!” o “Sinong katawan ang aking …show more content…
THE GOOD ENDING. OR NOT.
By the end of the play, there was reconciliation within Shakespeare’s Tempest which may or may not have to do with the joyful celebration of the Philippine Tempest. But whether it was intended or not, Jaime had warned everyone to remain vigilant of an approaching storm. And in this act of preparation, it will completely differ from that of the characters’ during Yolanda’s wrath where they were taken by surprise. It’s as if the play is pulling the audience back on their feet and not letting them get too high above the ground (out of delight for the happy ending) and is telling the people to stay watchful and aware not just what life has in store for the characters, but this applies to reality as well: the country’s issue on poverty, corruption, and abuse of power; to be able to eliminate our ignorance of the glaring truths that seem to challenge us in a battle of wills.
This time around, we will be sure to guard our safety from the storms that will come our way.
REFERENCES:
The Tempest: Reimagined. (n.d.). Retrieved December 04, 2016,