The Tempest @ Valley Center Stage (North Bend)

Tempest: a violent windy storm; “a raging tempest.” And what better place to transport this Shakespearean classic than to Norway at the time of the Vikings. Where Seidr, a form of magic which is both the telling and the shaping of the future, was used by the Norse gods and respected amongst men. Seidr, meaning “to bind” in old Norse, allowed those with the skills to do such things as raise storms, cast love spells, and send nightmares to kill someone in their sleep

In the North Sea, we find Prospero abandoned with his young daughter Miranda on a magical island with a half-human Caliban and a bound spirit, Ariel. After spending 12 long years outcast from his dukedom in Oslo, fate intervenes, and a tempest delivers those who betrayed him to his very shore. Now with the help of Ariel and the three Norns, retribution is at hand: twisting loyalty and love with humor and vengeance.

Location: Sallal Grange (1060 Stilson Ave. SE, North Bend) — in the Cascade foothills, east of Issaquah

Tickets ($23) here.

Pay-what-you-choose performances on Thursdays.