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Given that The Tempest opens with a shipwreck that strands the central character on an island in the middle of nowhere, the Hawke Sea Scout Hall in Cox's Bay - with water lapping at its ground floor doors - is an apt venue for a production of the Shakespeare play.
Theatre producer Madeleine Hyland figured that out when she started thinking about the next play her Peripeteia Players company should perform. Having gained a reputation for energetic and original work, it is no surprise that Hyland and Peripeteia sought a unique venue. The 80-year-old hall - described as "vintage venue on stilts over the sea" - fits the bill.
Hyland says staging The Tempest close to the sea invokes a slight tension redolent of the environment Shakespeare may have written in.
"Elizabeth I had been dead for some time; the world was changing rapidly, becoming more modern. By using a venue which is not used as a theatre, we introduce a degree of unpredictability and challenge an audience to take in the environment they are in."
Making the best use of the space is equally challenging for the cast. Veteran actor Stuart Devenie is something of a mentor and champion of the Peripeteia Players. He acknowledges the Hawke Sea Scout Hall is one of the more unusual places he has worked in.
"Everyone who walks into the building says it is a wonderful space but it is a different space with its own dynamics and we have to figure how to make the best of those."
Devenie became involved with Peripeteia through his daughter, Laurel, a long-time friend of Hyland's. He directed and appeared in Cymbeline and was only too happy to work with the group again.
It means he and Laurel will appear together on stage for the first time. Father and daughter are undaunted by the prospect. "We are not father and daughter in this instance, we are professional colleagues and that's the case for any person in this situation," he says.
Always captivated by the theatrical environment, Laurel switched to study drama after finding her initial university studies isolating.
"I realised what I was craving was a group process of learning or exploring so when I went to drama school, that was what I was looking for. Group activity is the essence of theatre."
* The Tempest takes place at the Hawke Sea Scout Hall, West End Rd, Cox's Bay from February 1-23. Phone (09) 378 7878 for bookings.
* www.peripeteia-theatre.blogspot.com
