a not-for-profit company since 1992
Incorporated as a not-for-profit company in 1992, Tempest Theatre Group had its beginnings amongst a group of English and Drama students at the Erindale Campus of the University of Toronto in 1989. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Jonathan Llyr and Executive Director Michael Booth and a host of other theatre and entertainment professionals, the company found early success with productions of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Measure for Measure and, most noticeably, an adventurous outdoor production of Henry V at the Mississauga Civic Centre in the Summer of 1993.
Having outgrown its roots, Tempest moved to the
Annex Theatre on Bathurst Street with a 1994
production of Much Ado About Nothing. This was
followed by a critically acclaimed production of Merchant of Venice at the Tarragon Extra Space, and
then a return to the Annex for a new Romeo and Juliet.
In December of 1995 Tempest took over the Annex
Theatre with a new production of Hamlet, followed in
rapid succession by productions of Macbeth, All’s Well
That Ends Well and Julius Caesar – all produced and
performed within 12 months, leading to the Toronto
Star proclaiming Tempest one of its “Best of ‘96” in the year-end assessment of the Arts Scene in Toronto.
It was at this time that Tempest began to enhance its schools program, first begun by Booth in his days as manager of the theatre at Erindale College in the 80’s, Tempest, while operating the Annex, utilized the historic Bathurst Street Theatre for larger school performances. This program continued at the Leah Posluns Theatre and most recently in the new Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadal Centre. Sadly, in 1999 the Bathurst Street Theatre was sold by the United Church of Canada and Tempest no longer had a permanent home. Tempest’s final performance at the Annex was a very successful Othello.
Since leaving the Annex, Tempest has continued its active educational program, performing for nearly 50,000 students from all over Southern Ontario. Tempest’s reach has expanded beyond Toronto to include students from Niagara, Waterloo, Simcoe, Peterborough and even Muskoka. Tempest has become an affordable and more intimate alternative to other larger Shakespeare companies in Ontario for dozens of Ontario high schools. Some schools have attended every production for over a dozen years. Tempest also toured Ontario in 2001 in partnership with a Montreal theatre company.
Throughout its history Tempest has always dedicated itself to focused, high-energy performances that remain both faithful to text while allowing audiences to hear and see the true matter of the plays themselves. One need only sit through a captivating Tempest school performance of Macbeth to see young minds enraptured by language and stories they had, perhaps, hitherto found impenetrable. Every performance ends with cheers and more questions than the company can answer. We are tremendously proud of the fact we have brought thousands of young people an experience they will take with them for the rest of their lives. A testament to this impact is the fact that there are now former students who once sat in the audience of our productions and now have come full circle, working as company members, onstage and off, in Tempest Theatre Group productions.