Nearly three dozen Yalies and their families gathered earlier tonight to see the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest. Set in the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute in beautiful Ellicott City, there was a palpable sense of magic in the air – perfect for Shakespeare’s masterpiece combining fantasy, shipwreck, revenge, and several of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters – the exiled sorcerer Prospero, his brilliant daughter Miranda, the fairy sprite Ariel, and the monster Caliban. Our group was treated to a pre-show talk by Lesley Malin, the Managing Director and one of the founders of CSC, as we ate our picnic dinners. She discussed the founding of the CSC, the history of the Patapsco Female Institute, and the artistic decisions the CSC had made for the night’s production. The show itself was filled with color and laughter, with actors using the aisles to escape storms, seek their companions, or continue their drunken revelry. It was the perfect way to spend a beautiful summer evening.