NBCnews.com reprted that this was the Free Tempest, a two-day production Thursday and Friday at the park's Summit Rock that was zero-cost for the audience — and zero-costume for some of the all-female cast.
The play was co-directed by Alice Mottola and Pitr Strait in collaboration with the Outdoor Co-Ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society, a group that gathers for topless outdoor book club meetings with the goal of normalizing the naked female form.New York State law generally prohibits full nudity, with an exception made for plays and exhibitions. Mottola said the group obtained a standard park permit for the shows. At Thursday's performance, several people stationed near the entrance warned of nudity ahead, as did a sign, to prevent the uninitiated from stumbling in.
Reanna Roane, who played Ariel, a spirit, said she had performed Shakespeare in the past but had never acted nude. "I felt so vulnerable and exposed," she said. "It really made me step up my game as an actor." Asked if they thought Shakespeare would like this version of "The Tempest," both Strait and Mottola sounded positive notes. "I think he would love it," said Strait.
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