Pilobolus’s award-winning, two-headed Caliban is the topic of conversation during Season 2, Episode 6, “Caliban,” of the Shakespeare's Shadows podcast.
From shakespearesshadows.com:
“A play that can be at turns heartwarming and troubling, The Tempest features two major characters who don’t look like the humans around them: Caliban and Ariel. Caliban, repeatedly described as “monstrous” by other characters, is enslaved by Prospero, the play’s protagonist. This episode delves into discussion about postcolonial interpretations of this play that was written in the early 17th century, about the significance of Caliban’s mother being a witch from Algiers, and about varying approaches to The Tempest’s theme of choosing forgiveness over revenge and the question of whether Caliban’s ending is one with reconciliation.”
Pilobolus's Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski and Artistic Director Matt Kent offer unique insights into the company's two-headed interpretation of Caliban, monster of Shakespeare's The Tempest, for which they won a Helen Hayes Award in choreography. To round out the discussion, actor Michael Blake and SUNY New Paltz theatre studies professor Dr. Matthieu Chapman provide diverse perspectives on the interpretation, presentation, and theory regarding Caliban and Ariel.
With discussions touching on sensitive topics such as slavery and racial violence, this episode promises to be both enlightening and thought-provoking but do listen with caution.
Top image by Scott Suchman