DENICE HICKS
Denice Hicks has been working with the Shakespeare Festival in Nashville since 1990 and has helped with over 50 Shakespeare productions. As a director, her main goal is to create an immersive experience for all demographics and age groups. This is not only reflected by her stage design and inclusive production, but by outlining the play’s main theme: forgiveness, a universal ideal that everyone can relate to.
INTERPRETATION
In her interview, Hicks stresses the importance of immersive theater and interaction with the audience while producing Shakespeare. This is clearly seen in her creative decisions. In her interpretation of The Tempest, the spirits roam around the crowd and interact with the audience, as well as have the shipwreck in the crowd. Since ONEC1TY doesn’t provide a backstage, audience members feel as if they are part of the production and not just observing. To Denice, the play is essentially about forgiveness. The cover of her binder containing her director’s notes features a quote from the play that says, “The rarer action is in virtue, not vengeance.” Ultimately, Denice intends to portray Prospero as a dynamic character who, with the help of Ariel, is able to forgive those who betrayed him. She also decided to shy away from the realistic interpretation of the show that many modern productions have adopted. Instead, she discusses her desire to focus on the magic of the show and allowing the audience to fill in elements with their own imagination. Denice’s production of The Tempest is considered to be rather whimsical. Being cautious of budget, Hicks incorporated sounds projected by speakers around the stage, uncommon props, and designed the play to be more inclusive in order to allow the audience to use their own imaginations.
