(Minneapolis, MN)—Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) announces a 12th season of Shakespeare in Our Parks with a new production of The Tempest. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke, this comedy will be performed in parks across the Twin Cities, June 12 – July 12, 2026, including performances in Anoka and Wabasha, and a partnership performance with the MN Humanities Center in St. Paul.

“The Tempest is a richly complex story about forgiveness, redemption, and growth,” said Joseph Papke. “It’s also tremendously funny and our production will balance these serious and comedic elements to explore how we move forward from pain and misfortune.”

Written circa 1611, The Tempest is a tragicomedy, or so-called “romance,” and is considered the final play Shakespeare wrote as sole author. After 12 years in exile on a deserted island, a scholarly mage shipwrecks his enemies in his magical domain, putting them at his mercy. Having now the upper hand, he must choose between a path of revenge or redemption. CAE last staged The Tempest in 2015 at the former Theatre Garage in Minneapolis.

CAE honors Shakespeare’s work by making high-quality entertainment available for all at no charge through its annual Shakespeare in Our Parks program. CAE encourages audiences to bring a picnic to enjoy this free outdoor entertainment for the entire family. In keeping with CAE’s aesthetic, this production will include live, modern music performed by the cast.

Previous Shakespeare in Our Parks productions: All’s Well That Ends Well (2025), Twelfth Night
(2024), Much Ado About Nothing (2023), Love’s Labors Lost (2022, 2014), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021, 2016), The Merry Wives of Windsor (2019), Romeo & Juliet (2018), The Comedy of Errors (2017), and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2015).

THE ARTISTS
Longtime CAE company member Alan Tilson stars as Prospero, the exiled mage. Returning to CAE are Justin Hooper as Caliban, Dominic DeLong-Rodgers as Stephano, John Goodrich as Antonio, and Peter Simmons as Alonso The cast features several current students from top-tier national BFA programs: Anastasia Brown (UMN) as Miranda; Nadya Bluvshtein (Penn State), Ross Petras (Penn State), and Angelina Vu (UMN) share the role of Ariel; Eli Zimmerman (Emerson) as Ferdinand; and Connor Smith (UMN) as Sebastian. Completing the cast are Robert McComas-Wood as Gonzalo and Zakary Morton as Trinculo.

Scenic design is by Justin Hooper and costumes by Molly Smith. The production is directed by Joseph Papke.

ABOUT CLASSICAL ACTORS ENSEMBLE
Classical Actors Ensemble is a Twin Cities theater company that performs plays of the English Renaissance as they were originally intended: as popular entertainment for everyone. Since its founding by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke in 2009, CAE has presented 33 works by Shakespeare, Ford, Middleton, Dekker, Webster, Jonson, and Marlowe. CAE has produced Shakespeare in Our Schools tours to secondary schools across the region and mounted indoor productions at several Twin Cities spaces, but their current focus is the annual free Shakespeare in Our Parks summer tour. CAE’s goal is to demonstrate why these works of art are considered classics and to freshly prove their relevance in today’s world.

To learn more about the company, please visit classicalactorsensemble.org.