Nashville Shakespeare Festival Brings The Tempest to Franklin

Shakespeare - The tempest

After a six-week run at their brand-new location at oneC1TY in Nashville, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is bringing their production of The Tempest to the Williamson County Performing Arts Center at Academy Park in Franklin. This is their fourth year in a row of bringing Shakespeare to Williamson County. Last year’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream drew nearly 2500 people to Academy Park over the 4-day run.

The Tempest, one of Shakespeare’s most famous romance plays, is set on an enchanted island ruled by the wizard Prospero and inhabited by spirits. Directed by NSF Artistic Director Denice Hicks and featuring Mark Cabus as Prospero leading a cast of 24 actors, The Tempest is a magical play about love, betrayal, and forgiveness that will delight the whole family.

Set designer Andy Bleiler, costume designer Lynda Cameron-Bayer, and props designer Patricia Convertino have created the magical world of the play. Local composer Rollie Mains wrote the score and plays it live alongside musicians Luke Easterling and Jack Kingsley and Tosha Marie choreographed the lively and colorful dances performed by the spirits of Caliban’s Island.

The Festival runs Thursday – Sunday, September 26 – 29th at Academy Park Performing Arts Center at 112 Everbright Ave, Franklin, TN. The pre-show concert series will feature Franklin-based performers such as the Belles of Franklin and Sweet Home Symphony. There will also be local food trucks and free “Talking Shakespeare” guest lectures nightly. The schedule is as follows:

6:00pm Talking Shakespeare w/ guest scholars
6:00pm Vendors open
6:00pm Preshow Concert Series
7:00pm The Tempest Performance

This is a family-friendly festival and dogs on a leash are welcome. While the Festival is always free, a $10 donation is encouraged. The audience may come with their own blanket or chairs or reserve chairs ahead of time with “Noble” seating available for $30. The special Royal Packages, which include VIP parking, comfortable reserved seating, and dinner catered by Frothy Monkey are $75 each and support educational outreach programming. Go to ticketsnashville.com to purchase.

More information is available at https://www.nashvilleshakes.org/franklin-shakes.

The Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s programs are funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission and Metro Arts. Shakespeare at Academy Park is made possible in part by Williamson County Parks and Recreation.