Meet the Cast of THE TEMPEST: Matthew Jayson Cwern
Please introduce yourself! Tell us a bit about you and your role in The Tempest.
I usually play villains so it was very fitting to cast me as Antonio. He adds an element of danger to play. Prospero and Ariel are comfortably pulling the strings. Ferdinand is falling in love. Stephano, Caliban and Trinculo and are off getting drunk and joking around. Alonso is grieving. Gonzalo is being level-headed. Adrian is confidant everything will be ok. But Antonio and Sebastian are schemers. And Antonio sees a great opportunity, even on a deserted island to gain power.
Please give us a brief summary of the play from your character’s point of view.
Antonio, Prospero’s younger brother, starts the play off on a boat in a wild storm. Him, his fellow noblemen and their servants were coming from the wedding of Alonso’s daughter in Tunis. The ship sinks and Antonio, Alonso, Sebastian, Adrian and Gonzalo all end up on an island. They assume they are the only people on the island and the only survivors of the wreckage. Antonio sees an opportunity to kill Alonzo and Gonzalo to advance his own political ambitions and bring Sebastian in with him. They are interrupted by Ariel. After wandering the island to no avail, they eventually realize that they were brought to the island by Prospero, Antonio’s brother. Antonio, Sebastian and Alonso overthrew Prospero twelve years ago so I think we all assume he wants us dead.
Tell us a bit about your history with The Porters and with Shakespeare. What’s been your favorite role to play thus far?
The Porters first cast me as York in Henry VI Parts I, II and III. It has actually been my favorite and least favorite role. The former because he’s just so interesting and has so many layers to him and the latter because it was my first time doing Shakespeare. It’s a role I would love to re-visit at some point now that I have a better understanding of the language. I also played Cardinal Pandulph last year in their production of King John.
Magic plays a central role in the play. Prospero wields it to his own ends, and it can easily be seen as a metaphor for Shakespeare’s art as a writer. How do you define magic? What role does it play in your life?
Magic is no different than theater. You are taking an audience on a journey and if done successfully, they will happily go on that journey with you. The Magic Castle is actually one of my favorite hangouts in LA. I’ve seen a lot of magic over the years and even when I see the same tricks done again and again with different variations, I’m entranced every single time if it’s executed well. My grandparents took me to see Harry Blackstone Jr when I was a kid. Watching him making lightbulbs levitate and making cages of birds disappear was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I thought he was a wizard. It’s my favorite memory of my grandparents.
What is your favorite quote from the play?
No.
It’s said by Sean Faye who plays Alonso. I’ve never seen anyone say that word and yet get so many laughs. You’ll have to come see the play to understand.
Finally, where can people learn more about you and what you’re doing?
I’m @matthewjaysoncwern on IG and Twitter!
The Tempest is currently running in NoHo. Tickets HERE!