Mark Quartley has joined the cast to play Ariel in the RSC’s forthcoming production of The Tempest, which opens in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in November 2016 to conclude Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary year. Mark will be taking on a whole new area of stage craft by wearing a motion capture suit provided by The Imaginarium Studios, live on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage for the very first time. This allows the movements of his ‘avatar’ Ariel to be projected on and around the stage, including flying and morphing into different versions of the spirit which are delivered by using Intel technology.
Mark’s previous theatre work includes Written on the Heart and Measure for Measure (RSC 2011/12), Private Peaceful (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Macbeth (Trafalgar Studios), Ghosts (Rose theatre, Kingston) and a regular role in the television comedy Hoff the Record
As previously announced, Gregory Doran directs the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Prospero, as he returns to the Company for the first time in 23 years. This production of Shakespeare’s late play, in collaboration with Intel and in association with The Imaginarium Studios, has been in development since September 2015, and aims to break new boundaries in theatre-making with the very first live motion capture performance appearing in a major classical stage production.
Also announced today is confirmation that The Tempest will be broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and Europe, as part of the RSC’s ongoing Live from Stratford-upon-Avon screenings which started in 2013. The live broadcast will take place on 11 January 2017, followed by encore screenings around the world. Picturehouse Entertainment continues to be the RSC’s worldwide distribution partner.
The rest of the cast will be announced shortly.
The production is designed by RSC Director of design Stephen Brimson Lewis, with music by Paul Englishby and sound by Jeremy Dunn and Andy Franks, Lighting by Simon Spencer and video by Finn Ross
A short film showing the first meeting between Prospero and his Ariel isavailable on www.rsc.org.uk