When staging a production of a William Shakespeare play, the
question often arises of its relevance to a modern audience. Many film and
stage productions have provided modernised versions to the Bard's work to spark
contemporary curiosity, with the innate power of these plays successfully
enduring under the most unlikely presentations, as the success of The Globe's international
Shakespeare season earlier this year will attest. But what about the players
bringing this material to life? How do they relate to the Kings, Emperors and
other characters who were created centuries ago? The new documentary Tempest
attempts to tackle that problem by bringing Shakespeare to a group of people
hungry for something far removed from their immediate surroundings.
Tempest opens with footage of last year's London riots,
playing under soundbites from inner-city teens that reiterate their sense of the persecution and lack of opportunities that blight their lives. Directors Rob
Curry and Anthony Fletcher clearly intend to alter our perception of such
youngsters, and their film follows 17 amateur thespians as they take their
first faltering steps into the world of Shakespeare, with a performance of The
Tempest. This play formed part of Danny Boyle's Olympic Games opening ceremony (a
night that felt like an act of healing for the capital, coming a year after the
aforementioned riots) and it's a good choice for this group to tackle, offering
broad comedy, romance and drama, and themes that they can understand within the
context of their own experiences.
The manner in which these teenagers reconfigure
Shakespeare's play to better understand it is one of the most interesting
aspects of Tempest. Early rehearsals show them struggling with the archaic
language, but they successfully break the play down into simple terms, playing
scenes with their own words, and gradually get to grips with the emotional truths at the
heart of the play. In interview sequences, they speak intelligently
and thoughtfully about their characters and motivations, and one of the most striking ideas is
their decision to have seven different actresses playing Ariel simultaneously,
as they can't conceive of Prospero's imprisoned spirit as a single role.
Through such choices, they make The Tempest their own.
There's a lot to enjoy in watching this unfold, particularly
the infectious enthusiasm and growing confidence that the cast exhibits. They
are young men and women who are embracing an opportunity to express themselves
and taste something new, but the rarity of such opportunities is a problem the
film only hints at. Tempest attempts comment on deficiencies in the education
system and community programmes that are failing youngsters from disadvantaged
areas, but in the film's slight and occasionally choppy structure it's only a
fleeting aside, with the filmmakers failing to lend it any weight.
Nevertheless, the blossoming of these young actors in Shakespeare's world is in
itself a powerful argument for the continued relevance of his works, and the
vital importance of a proper arts education for today's youth.