The Tempest was written to show off the theatre technology of Shakespeare’s day, and in this production the RSC set out to show what modern technology can do, while keeping the text and performer the focus of the action.  FRAY Studio used video to build Prospero’s magical world, pushing at the boundaries of what is possible without making the stage feel like a computer game.  Painted skies rushed by, Hockney-like corn fields filled the space, aurora borealis gently floated past and, at the centre, the character of Ariel was rendered live on stage, driven by live motion capture.

The show used a mixture of video mapping, video tracking and live motion capture to build the world of The Tempest.  This was not the first production to use projection, but what was exceptional about The Tempest was how the massive video-worlds FRAY created on stage were all driven from the character of Ariel.

The video-worlds, with Ariel as a character/video-creation at their heart, grew and built themselves in front of the audience. The use of video was carefully balanced throughout, ensuring that it didn’t detract from the performers on stage but, rather, supported them, creating a complete world of performer and video.