Michael Winters in “The Tempest”

Michael Winters (Taylor Doose on Gilmore Girls) is currently starring as Prospero in the Seattle Shakespeare Company production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which is playing from June 4 – 28th.

In The Tempest, Prospero (Michael Winters) is a banished sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan. He uses his magical powers to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest (violent storm) to drive them ashore to an island. That island’s native inhabitants, Ariel and Caliban, aid or hinder Prospero’s work. While vengeance is what Prospero seeks, he discovers instead that love and forgiveness are the most potent magic of all.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Michael Winters shares that he’s acted in 10 of Shakespeare’s plays in the past, though The Tempest is a new one for him and that the part was hard to learn:

“[Prospero] rarely talks to anybody! He’s generally talking to himself, which makes it a hard part to learn…

This is a guy with a rage addiction. I see him as someone who’s been walking around the beach muttering, for 12 years. Then when revenge is at hand, he changes on a dime. He knows he must forgive. Like all the late Shakespeare plays, “The Tempest” is really about forgiveness.”

If you’re in the Seattle area, you can buy tickets to see Michael Winters in The Tempest here.

Hat tip to Regis ; Photos by John Ulman for the Seattle Shakespear Company