This project offers a compelling exploration of the theme of illusion in The Tempest. By choosing to create a physical representation of a stage, Alexia Panayiotou calls our attention to stagecraft itself as an act of physical representation or embodiment of ideas. Theatrical representations, however, as Panayiotou points out, “are melted into air” at the end of the play. Ironically, then, thisproject gives permanent form and substance to the formlessness it portrays.

The mirrors mounted on the theater seats, as Paniyotou writes, “represent the fact that once Prospero leaves the stage, there is nothing to reflect just the surroundings.” Yet they also suggest a subtle commentary on Prospero’s character within The Tempest: he “sees” only his own reflection; his “power” lies in his ability to manipulate the characters around him to reflections of his will.

Read Panayiotou’s reflection here.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.