Shakespeare’s plays have been performed many different times in many different places.

Some performances might even include different interpretations to go along with the modern times.

All of us know his famous works such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet,” and “Othello”.

Other Shakespeare plays are not as well known.

One such play is “The Tempest,” which was performed as the winter play at Northtown on Jan. 26 and 27.

“The Tempest” is like any other Shakespeare work, with conniving characters imagining up schemes so others can be put in their rightful place.

“The Tempest” is set on a remote island with Prospero, played by senior Joel Roney, dreaming up a plan so that his daughter Miranda, played by freshman Bree Hernandez, can be redeemed.

Along the way, Prospero’s conniving brother Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples, are brought to the island. Antonio was played by sophomore Matthew Gutierrez and Alonso was played by senior Michael Donahue III.

Once on the island, Prospero’s plans bring to light Antonio’s scheming nature and brings about a marriage between Miranda and Ferdinand, Alonso’s son, played by junior Max Irby.

The first performance of “The Tempest” was Thursday, January 26, with a second performance following the next night, January 27.

Although the cast was nervous, the performances went great.

“Rehearsals went really well and the performances were amazing,” Irby said.

The performances were like any other Northtown production, except for a few things.

One thing that was different about “The Tempest” was some of the makeup. Shakespeare’s works can sometimes include different plot lines and this show was no different. Not only were there two people falling in love, but there were also fairies, spirits, and reapers in the show.

Senior Nicki Grant, who was part of the makeup crew for “The Tempest,” helped apply some fascinating looks to certain characters.

“The fairy and reaper makeup was harder to do because you had to be more intricate with designs, whereas the regular makeup was just blush and eyeliner,” said Grant.

Another difference between “The Tempest” and other Northtown productions were some of the lighting cues.

The stage lights are always shining bright to illuminate the stage, but this production included a different kind of light: strobe lights. Strobe lights are very fast and much brighter than regular stage lights.

The strobe lights brought a different energy to the show, for both the audience and the cast.

Senior Juliana Johnson, who was stage manager for “The Tempest”, didn’t mind the new lights.

“I think they added a nice effect and added some intensity to the scenes,” said Johnson.

Although the makeup and some of the lights were different, the cast and crew worked just as hard to bring a good show to the audience because it was not their first go-around on Northtown’s stage.

Most of the kids who acted in “The Tempest” have been in at least one production here at Northtown, with each production different than the last.

“[The Tempest] was much more difficult. Not only did you have to memorize lines in almost an entirely different language, you had to then interpret them and put that into your acting,” said senior Joel Roney.

If students hadn’t been in a production before, they had helped out on a production backstage with costumes or makeup. Junior Elizabeth McManus was in charge of creating the costumes for the fall musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and has now tried her hand at being on stage instead of backstage.

Being on stage and being backstage differ in many ways, but both take a lot of work and can be stressful.

“In both situations, you are appealing to the audience. However, when you’re on stage, you see the reaction of the audience which builds energy to make your acting better. The stress level is equal for both situations,” said McManus, who played the role of Ariel in “The Tempest”.

Now that the shows are over, the cast and crew are ready for their next adventures in theater because they know that they will have a support system to lean on in their next endeavor.

“It was a good play, but not only that, it was a wonderful cast which I have become so close to,” said sophomore Branislav Tadic.

Both performances were excellent. Cast and crew should be proud of what they have done.