Masque and Triangle put on a dazzling opening-night performance of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “The Tempest” on Friday, November 4 in Brehmer Theater. Residents of the Hamilton community and countless Colgate students attended the performance.

The play was directed by junior Amanda Kummeth, and it featured a cast with diverse acting backgrounds. Whether or not they had any prior experience with theater, the students’ talent and dedication to this play were evident.

“The Tempest” was written around 1610 to 1611and was one of the very last plays Shakespeare wrote alone. The play is set on a remote, magical island inhabited by Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan, who wants to regain power. The plot centers around Prospero conjuring a tempest storm, which causes his brother Antonio and King Alonso of Naples to arrive on the island. The Duke accomplishes most of his deeds with the help of Ariel, a magical fairy-like sprite. 

Prospero, the protagonist, was played by junior Michael DiGiorgio. He, like many other members of this cast, is involved with other musical initiatives on campus, including the Mantiphondrakes and Chamber Singers. Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, was played by junior Lauren Pitzer.

The costumes definitely added to the story’s vivacity, with outfits ranging from capes to flower crowns to sparkling blouses to intricate designs and more.

One of the most amusing parts of the story centers around characters Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo, played by first-years Sarah Allen, Steven DeVillis and Haoqi Xia, respectively. They filled the stage with laughter, friendship and foolish antics, which made for truly memorable scenes.

“I loved the scene when the two men meet the drunk butler. They were absolutely hysterical. Trinculo was especially funny and a great comedic relief,” sophomore

Diana Costin said.

Indeed, Xia did a fantastic job playing Trinculo, demonstrating a powerful theatrical talent with facial expressions, different tones of voice and true embodiment of the character, prompting many laughs from the audience.

First-year Maia Van Buskirk played the role of Iris. She was thankful for the opportunity to witness the overall artistic fruition of all of her hard work and dedication with the rest of the cast.

“It was just a really great experience, because you got to meet people outside of classes and your grade. There’s also something really satisfying about being able to see the final product of something that we’ve put a lot of effort into,” Van Buskirk said.

Overall, the play reveals a great deal about the power of nature and human interactions, magic and the supernatural and familial relationships and what it means to live driven by personal motives and quests for power.