Setting: The tropical island of Palau. Time Period: Today.

Note to Director: "The Tempest" is just an ancient story of survival of the fittest and class lines. I see this reproduced on the big screen as a "Survivor" imitator, with the castaways on Prospero's island scheming behind each other's backs toward their own selfish means. Witness Caliban, who hopes to murder Prospero and take his island back into this own hands. The shipwreck survivors Trinculo and Stephano help egg Caliban on and make a pact with him, essentially creating a tribe of their own and setting themselves up against the other tribes forming up on the island. Setting this modern-day remake in the lush jungle landscape of Palau helps the audience understand the parallels between the two stories, and creates an exotic and lush atmosphere, similar to what the original castaways might have experienced. That is not as important as the opportunity for the modern day characters to shed much of their clothing, which is important to modern audiences.

For audiences to truly identify with this play, the setting needs to be understandable, and the time period needs to be modern. That way, the action and

Ideas for Casting: Caliban. Jamie Foxx, no doubt. Jamie can be made up to be more "dark and grotesque," and his acting abilities would make him an excellent choice for Caliban. Jamie can be raw or refined, and he would need these qualities to portray Caliban. While some actors might see this as a minor role, I think Jamie would see it for what it is - the backbone of the piece. Caliban is a little bit slave, a little bit master, and emotional and eloquent throughout. Sometimes he is earthy, like when he talks about the beauty of the island, and sometimes he is eloquent, like when he talks to Prospero about how he stole his island from him. He is greedy, can be manipulative and tacky (like when he thinks of raping Miranda), but most of all he is important to the action of the entire play. He needs a strong actor able to carry his role and his many facets, and Foxx seems to be the perfect man for the job. His performance in "Ray" shows that he can throw himself into his character, and change according to time and circumstances. He would need to do that here, for sure.

Caliban is a slave, which might be a problem for the actor. He is also a drunkard in some scenes, calling for understanding and a physical presence, too. Foxx has the physique necessary for this assignment, too. He could certainly carry off wearing a loin-cloth and cloak, as the wood-carrying scene seems to require. He is a master of both physical and mental acting, and that would be important with this character, who can be both brutal and endearing. There could be a problem with Foxx. Caliba

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Approximate Word count = 1066
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)