The Salisbury University-affiliated Fultontown Theatre Company is bringing William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” to Berlin this week.
The outside of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum in Berlin is pictured.
File photo
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Salisbury University-affiliated Fultontown Theatre Company is bringing Shakespeare to Berlin this week.
On Friday, Aug. 16, Berlin and Worcester County residents will be able to watch the theater group perform William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” under the stars on the Calvin B. Taylor House lawn. The event is free, and attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair to claim their spot.
Fultontown Theatre, a summer stock company, was formed in 2021 by Salisbury University 2019 graduates Chelsea Dean and Bailey Kirk to continue pursuing the arts after college, establish alum engagement, and foster a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Kirk, the organization’s managing director, Fultontown has produced six shows and toured the Maryland Eastern Shore since its formation. The entire cast and crew of the company’s rendition of “The Tempest” are local to the Salisbury area or alums of the university.
The theater group is most known for performing Shakespearean plays. Past productions include “Twelfth Night,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” and “Falstaff the Friend, Falstaff the Fool.” They also put on Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” last year.
Preparation for “The Tempest” began in early spring, Kirk said. The Salisbury production is directed by Dean, who acts as Fultontown’s artistic director.
“We chose ‘The Tempest’ because it is one of Chelsea’s favorites,” Kirk noted. “… it is ultimately about what makes us human, and this show specifically highlights the effects of isolation and the relative ease with which people hope, despair, love, and cause harm.”
“’The Tempest’ is one of the so-called problem plays because it doesn’t neatly fit into a specific category and is full of characters with shades of gray,” she continued.
Rehearsals began in June. Kirk said that the cast and crew kickstart each production process with two months of Zoom table reads to ensure the actors familiarize themselves with the older form of English. Afterward, they meet to iron out blocking, technical elements, and staging.
In addition to the Friday, August 16 show at the Taylor House, Fultontown Theatre Company is performing “The Tempest” at Teackle Mansion in Princess Anne on Thursday, August 15 at 7:30 p.m., the Vienna Waterfront in Vienna, Maryland, on Saturday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m., and Furnace Town on Sunday, August 18 at 2 p.m. The evening events are free. The final matinee is $8 a person.
The show will star Jordan Kilgore as Prospero. According to the company’s Facebook page, Kilgore, who is making his Fultontown debut, is a Salisbury-based actor and voiceover artist who grew up performing with the Community Players of Salisbury. After high school, he attended Oklahoma City University, where he graduated with a BFA in acting and a minor in directing. “The Tempest” lead also spent a summer in the United Kingdom studying Shakespeare at Rose Bruford College.
Claire Thomas will portray Miranda in the production. Thomas, who graduated from Salisbury University with a BA in theatre production and the University of Maryland Baltimore County with an MA in teaching, will make her sophomore appearance with the company. The actor is also a Norfolk, Virginia, high school English and theater educator.
Other performers include Madeleine Davis as Ariel, Kai Mellarkey as Caliban, Caroline Lewis as Prince Ferdinand, Devon Spencer Lynch as King Alonso, Kerinne Walls as Antonio, Brian Tully as Sebastian, Natasha Hawkins as Gonzalo, Matthew Hatfield as Trinculo, and AJ Payne as Stephano.
Fultontown Theatre Company operates primarily on public donations. Financial support is collected at their performances and through Venmo, PayPal, and the Salisbury University Giving Page.
Individuals can contact the organization at fultontowntheatre@gmail.com for questions regarding donations. Kirk urges theater enthusiasts to follow their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on any current or future shows.
“Please contact us if you’d like to donate or partner with us to keep bringing free theatre to our local communities,” Kirk said.
“The Tempest” cast and crew are excited to return to the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum.
“Since starting Fultontown, there was only one year we were not able to perform at the Taylor House due to a scheduling conflict with other entertainment on the lawn,” Kirk added. “We absolutely love performing there.”