Theater Spotlight of the Week: Natalie Gaupp

by Shawn Parikh

Earlier this year, PublicWorks Theatre Company presented Lord of the Flies set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Now, the UTA Department of Theatre Arts is taking William Shakespeare's The Tempest and setting it in post-Katrina New Orleans' French Quarter. I got a chance to talk to director Natalie Gaupp who is also a professor at UTA.

We start by talking about her career and how she become involved with UTA. Since she has experience working in a professional and academic theater setting, she talks about the challenges and differences between the two.

She then talks about setting The Tempest in New Orleans and how that idea originated. She also mentions how this will be conveyed to the audience and what this means to the text.

I ask her what she ultimately wants the audience to walk away with after seeing the show. She ends by talking about how the students got involved with research and learning.

The Tempest runs from February 27 - March 2 and for reservations, call the Box Office at 817-272-2669.