The Tempest

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

The production was announced to run in repertory with Hamlet during May and June 2008 at the Old Vic Theatre in London

PLEASE NOTE: This production was cancelled before the first performance and was replaced with Pygmalion. After this false start, The Bridge Project finally began in 2009 with The Cherry Orchard and The Winter's Tale playing together in repertory from June to August 2009.

The Bridge Project present William Shakespeare's play The Tempest in London with an Anglo/American cast lead by Stephen Dillane playing the role of 'Prospero' and directed by Sam Mendes. This production plays in repertory with Hamlet.

Shakespeare's magical last play, his poignant farewell to the stage - has love, tragedy and comedy combined in equal measure. The usurped Prospero draws his enemies to his enchanted island to exact his revenge, yet ultimately finds peace and the ability to forgive.

For the opening season of The Bridge Project Sam Mendes directs The Tempest and Hamlet, two of Shakespeare's biggest and best-known works. Both plays share universally powerful themes: from the intense relationships between children and their parents, to the dramatic force of revenge - political and personal. These two new productions will showcase the best of transatlantic talent from a formidable cast and creative team at three internationally renowned theatres.

The cast for The Tempest in London is lead by Stephen Dillane who plays the role of 'Prospero'. Other cast to be announced.

The Bridge Project is a three year series of co-productions between The Old Vic Theatre in London, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York and Sam Mendes' Neal Street Productions. Each year a single Anglo/American company will perform a double-bill of classic works at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and at The Old Vic Theatre, and make at least one other international visit. This three year series begins in 2008 with The Tempest and Hamlet and will continue in 2009 with The Winter's Tale and The Cherry Orchard, with a further pairing of plays to be confirmed for 2010.

Rehearsals for The Tempest and Hamlet commence in Brooklyn in October 2007. The plays will run at BAM during January to March 2008, at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan during April and then at The Old Vic Theatre during May and June 2008. The Old Vic Theatre is co-producing The Bridge Project with Joseph Melillo for BAM and Sam Mendes and Caro Newling for Neal Street Productions. The project is borne out of the group's shared desire to produce large-scale, classical theatre for international audiences.