The Tempest @ dawn in Victoria Park by Come you Spirits

Acclaimed theatre troupe Come you Spirits are delighted to present The Tempest at dawn at the beautiful Victoria Park on Saturday 9th December at 6:30am. In the lead up to the show, the troupe will be presenting at the International Shakespeare conference "Shakespeare Beyond All Limits" at Sydney University, presented by The Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association (ANZSA). In celebration of this extraordinary coming together of the best minds and hearts from all over the world in the spirit of Shakespeare, our dawn performance is offered on a 'donation' or 'pay what you can' basis. An offering not just for conference delegates and uni students, but also for the general public.

Our production of The Tempest tells the story of redemption and hope. Banished Duke Prospero enslaves Mother Earth and the spirits of the island forcing the elements into a tempest - washing up his enemy. Until he learns better from those around him, and leans into love, the beauty of nature and steps into forgiveness and freedom. 

With the action taking place among and around you, experience the transformation as Sydney's Victoria Park becomes the magical island 'full of noises' paired with a soundscape designed to make the spirit soar. Immerse yourself in the extremities - from rage to redemption, from bondage to bravery.

Come you Spirits have been touring across Australia and internationally with their repertoire of four different Shakespeare plays, each one edited to 1.5 hours, to wide-spread critical acclaim. From Australia's own full Stonehenge in Esperance WA, a 100 year old Amphitheatre in Castlecrag in Sydney's North, the Southern Swan Tall Ship sailing Sydney Harbour, Queens Gardens in Townsville QLD, Marvell Hall Gardens Byron Bay, the Brunswick Picture House in Brunswick Heads, Hickson House at The Rocks Sydney, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, the Willow Globe in the UK, The Dell in Lancashire UK, the Riverbank of St Albans in regional NSW, the boulders of the Bushland Reserve at Cooper Park in Sydney's East, and an open field in Kangaroo Valley NSW.

PLEASE NOTE - Book your tickets to stay in the loop about weather updates and event reminders. The performance runs for 1.5 hours and is interactive with the actors moving through the audience. You are invited to bring your own picnic rug or blanket to sit on the grass area. You are welcome to bring your own drinks and snacks. Please take all your rubbish with you at the end.

“Come you Spirits will take you to a place just between the human and the ethereal, to demonstrate just how close we are through language and our connection to the natural world. Utterly indistinguishable from magic.” - Theatre Travels

"The moonlight performance was just magic. The costuming and acting were brilliant and the acoustics were extraordinary. The community can be very grateful to have such stunning cultural experiences.” - Commendation in NSW Parliament with a Community Recognition Statement by MP Tim James

"This is next-level experiential theatre. One of the best theatrical and outdoor adventure experiences you can possibly have in this or any other city." - City Hub

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shakespeare but not as you know it...The troupe had done the work for us, so all we needed to do was show up. Nourishment for the eyes, ears, nose and tongue and offered a weight off the heart and kinship with your fellow human beings.” - Arts Hub

“Minimalized cast, delivers maximized SHAKESPEARE. Highly Recommended. Magnificently performed by 4 outstanding actors.” - Sydney Arts Guide

“The performers are wonderful storytellers, utilising the energy of the audience and environment to provide a connection to language and the powerful soundscape is designed to be a whole-body experience. I found the performances to be spiritual and engaging. I was impressed with the passion and energy of the performances and completely mesmerised by the experience.”- Stage Whispers

"Come You Spirits are a theatre company with a difference. Not only do they offer strong, sharp performances of Shakespeare’s works (in well-paced productions), but they also engage uniquely with the space around them, and offer audiences an experience designed to enhance their connection to nature and wellbeing. They are making innovative steps in ecological or environmental theatre, and their site-specific work is spectacular. They are also generous practitioners who were much valued participants at our recent ‘Ecological Shakespeare in Performance’ conference at James Cook University.” - Dr Claire Hansen, Lecturer in English at the Australian National University

 "Come You Spirits put the rhythms of Shakespeare's language in tune with the frequencies of nature and the elements, breathing new life into words and characters with which we have become too familiar. Enthralled by these performers in a production pared back to bare essentials, I found myself finding Shakespeare made new again as if by alchemy.” - Professor Laurie Johnson, QLD university, President, Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association

MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY:

The acclaimed company style amplifies the magic contained in Shakespeare's plays and celebrates the wonders and mysteries of the natural world reminding us of our own magic. We draw on Ancient Wisdom from around the globe to support the storytelling and to connect the audience. 

The pace is fast, colourful, bursting with energy and physically dynamic with the story told in 1.5 hours by the troupe of four actors - each playing one role so the story is edited to be told by four central characters. 

The soundscape used in all the shows has been originally composed by Brandon Read and is attuned to the natural frequencies of the body and of nature and is supported by a selection of Indian, Tibetan and African sound healing instruments played live. 

The four professional actors in the troupe are Charles Mayer, Jo Bloom, Sontaan Hopson and Ciarán O'Riordan and each hold a Working With Children Check and have many years experience working with children to bring out their very best. 

Through performing Shakespeare in natural settings and incorporating nature in innovative ways, combining powerful sound, dynamic physical performances full of chi energy, and interacting with the audience from the moment they arrive - our intention is to provide experiences for a diverse community coming together to connect to nature, to storytelling, to themselves and to each other. To move towards a collective sense of healing, love, connection and ultimately peace. 

We share Shakespeare's vision of the “purpose of playing” being “to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure."

At the end of every performance a short and optional meditation is offered for the wellbeing of the audience members, the cast and crew.