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Strong Cast Selected for The Tempest 

Offshoot Productions, the Fayette County-based professional theatre company now in its twelfth season, has announced the cast for its August presentation of The Tempest.  The centerpiece of Offshoot’s Offshoots second annual “Shakespeare in the Park,” The Tempest features a number of highly talented performers with strong credentials.

Prospero, the main character, will be enacted by Priscilla Smith, a veteran performer, director and administrator who holds a B.A. in speech and drama from Trinity University in Texas.  Ariel, the loveable spirit indebted to Prospero, is played by Rebecca Cormier, who has frequently appeared at the Shakespeare Tavern and is a member of the popular musical group Three-Quarter Ale.

Nancy Riggs, who portrays both Sebastian and the goddess Ceres, has a BFA in acting and has studied at the National Shakespeare Conservatory.  Her numerous credits range from “My Fair Lady” to ”Wind in the Willows,” and she was a founding member of “Southern Discomfort,” a musical satire troupe.  Sarah Elizabeth Virkler, appearing for the first time with Offshoot, earned a BA in theatre performance and has performed with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.  She plays the scheming Antonio.  Kristi Rivas, returning to Offshoot after last spring’s hilarious turn as Dromio of Ephesus, portrays the wordy Gonzalo, while Fracena Byrd, who played Rivas's twin in “The Comedy of Errors,” Dromio of Syracuse, enacts the drunken butler Stephano.  Stephano’s equally drunken friend, Trinculo, is portrayed by Lory Cox, who has been seen in the Atlanta area at the Cobb Playhouse, Neighborhood Playhouse, Onstage Atlanta and Whole World Theatre.

Justin Sims, who appeared as Antipholus of Ephesus in “The Comedy of Errors” and the stage manager in Offshoot’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” plays Ferdinand, the King’s son, who is love-stricken upon meeting Miranda, Prospero’s daughter.  Miranda is played by Erin Greenway, who appeared in “Taming of the Shrew” at the Neighborhood Playhouse this spring.  Caliban is portrayed by Adam Johnson, who recently took stage in Corpus Christi at Onstage Atlanta.

Additional actors include Donovan Craig, Danny Dolan, and Kyle Sims, joined by apprentice performers Mikayla Beyer, Paolo Faraon, Bethany Ivey, Liam McDermott and Jean Snow.

The Tempest runs August 19 to September 3, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., at the Roger Spencer Community Center.   Tickets for a special preview performance August 18, are only $5 and will be sold at the door.  Regular tickets, $10 general admission, $8 for full-time students and senior citizens, and free for children 10 and under, will be available in August at the Peachtree City Library, (770) 631-2520, the Fayette County Library, (770) 461-8841, and the Tyrone Recreation Department, (770) 487-4694. 

The project is made possible in part by grants from the Community Foundation and the Endowment Committee for the Cultural Arts of Fayette County.  For additional information, call (770) 631-2362 or send e-mail to offshootpr@aol.com.