On October 19th, Transylvania hosted ‘Tales from the Tempest’ a roundtable discussion that focused on three literary works: The Tempest, the 1611 play by William Shakespeare, Wrecked, a 2022 novel by Heather Henson that is a modern retelling of The Tempest set in the knobs of Central Kentucky, and A Tempest, a 1969 play by Aimé Césaire that adapted Shakespeare’s play from a postcolonial perspective. The roundtable, which was moderated by French Professor Simonetta Cochis and featured Wrecked author Heather Henson, Theatre Program Director Tosha Fowler, and Junior Student Mary Clark, who is portraying Caliban in Transy Theatre’s upcoming production of The Tempest, examined how all three interpreted and were able to connect with the characters of these works. 

Heather Henson spoke on how she had been drawn to Shakespeare almost as long as she could remember. She grew up in the Pioneer Playhouse, an outdoor theater in Danville, Kentucky that was built by Henson’s father, Col. Eben C. Henson, in 1950, and plays like The Tempest were a constant part of the “magical world of theatre” that he created. Henson always wanted to work with Shakespeare at the Playhouse, but never could due to lack of general interest, so she began to look for ways to incorporate those stories into her writing.

It took many years for Henson to find a framework for a retelling of The Tempest that specifically focused on the relationship between Prospero and Miranda, with concepts like a post-apocalyptic setting being continually shot down by editors. Henson revealed that she first had the idea for what would become Wrecked after watching an episode of True Detective and realizing that she could incorporate her home state by using the meth crisis in Kentucky as a framework for a modern retelling of The Tempest. She recalled her pitch to her editor, saying, “I had two words for her, and they were ‘Meth. Tempest.’ And she was like ‘Yes!’” Henson expressed hope that her work could act as a gateway for young readers into the world of Shakespeare which was so important to her growing up.

Mary Clark acknowledged the traditional monstrous characterization, both in Shakespeare and later retellings, of the character of Caliban, who she is portraying in the Transy Theatre production of The Tempest. Challenging this traditional characterization is part of Transy Theatre’s ongoing goals of presenting stories relevant to modern audiences. Tosha Fowler would add that “Any time we approach an old text, we ask if we can make it meaningful…Time is the most precious thing we have.”

Recognizing that other modern interpretations of Caliban’s character, such as the postcolonial interpretation seen in Césaire’s A Tempest, wouldn’t necessarily work for the cast of the Transy Theatre Production, Clark began to build her own portrayal of Caliban by recognizing how she could relate with the character through personal experiences. Clark said, “I have been centering my interpretation of Caliban on his relationship with Miranda and how I see Miranda.” Fowler described how this process of re-interpretation was repeated with many other characters from the play, saying, “A play is not like a novel; you have to figure out what the truth is.” Fowler and Clark also talked about the ongoing design process for the set and costumes of The Tempest and expressed excitement at the work that is being done by all students and faculty in preparation for the show.

Tickets for The Tempest are available starting November 1st at 9:00 A.M., and the show will be performed in the Lucille C. Little Theater from November 15-19.

The Conservation Action Committee (CAC) has recently restarted the garden off Bourbon Avenue. The garden project began during the winter term of last school year, with students spending the day in the Shearer Art Building preparing soil for the seeds to be nurtured in and grown during the semester and summer months.

The CAC was created after a previous conservation committee disbanded. Thus, the Conservation Action Committee was created to be more active on campus, with this garden being a new goal for its members. The committee also hosted a Tree Week event last week and plans to go on many nature hikes throughout the school year. CAC is spearheaded by President Megan Studer, Vice President Morgan Hardigree, Treasurer Max Hankins, and Garden Keeper Sophia Del Val.

The goal for the garden, according to Del Val, is “to create a garden that grows thriving plants and allows for students to enjoy a place in nature.” Currently, the ground is being prepared for planting to be done in the winter semester, with members of the CAC participating in the process of tending the garden and trying to bring beauty and nature back to campus.

 The plan for the harvest is for the crops to be sold in local farmers’ markets, with profits going towards CAC’s budget for the garden and other projects. CAC is also planning on working with other student organizations to make use of the products and distribute them to the campus community.

If any reader is interested in helping CAC with the garden or other projects toward making the campus more environmentally friendly, you can contact Sophia Del Val (sdelval26@transy.edu) for more information.

Photo credit: Caroline Host (chhost27@transy.edu)

“The Grinnin’ Possum” is a podcast created by Transylvania English professor Maurice Manning. Manning is from Danville, Kentucky, and he claims that his ancestors were some of the earliest settlers of Southeast Kentucky. For that reason, Manning feels he has a deep bond with Kentucky, and he claims that through his podcast, he has broadened his sense of the state. He has a passion for history and seeking the truth, and he integrates that history into his poetry, which serves as the centerpiece of the podcast. Although each poem in each episode is full of history, they also have a silly side, with Manning describing his poems as “humorous, farcical, and outlandish.”

The podcast also focuses on Kentucky folk music, with the main theme of the show having been performed and composed by Manning himself. The locations where the episodes are recorded are also used as instruments. Manning described how he wanted to record his episodes in various settings and to use the sounds of those spaces as an instrument along with his poems. He wanted to give the audience an interactive experience of poetry, something more than just reading the sentences. The podcast visits sites across the state, from the Red River Gorge to the Rock Hill Plantation in Paducah, and Manning integrates the sounds and history of these places into his poetry and music. Manning stated how he’s always wanted to bring art and geography together in this way, but that he couldn’t have done it without his podcast editor Steve Cody. Both Manning and Cody appreciated what the other brought to the table for the podcast to come to life, with Cody working with microphones and sound equipment to make sure they got the best sound from each recording location. Manning described the podcast as his first creative activity that was a truly collaborative effort and said he couldn’t have done it alone.