Jamaican-born actor and playwright David Heron continues in the running for Best Supporting Performer for his portrayal of Caliban in Shakespeare’s The Tempest in the 2023 Broadway World Rhode Island Award.

The critically acclaimed production was presented by The Colonial Theatre of Rhode Island as part of their annual Shakespeare in The Park Festival and ran from July through August at Wilcox Park in Westerly, Rhode Island.

The winners of the 2023 awards will be selected by an online public vote which has now begun and will run through December 31 on Broadway World’s website.

Announcement of the winners will follow in early January.

In addition to Heron’s nod, eight other actors from the production are also nominated including Lee Fitzpatrick, Dylan Bowden, Charles Meier, Jason Guy, Matt Arnold, Peter Tedeschi, Lindsey Rodriguez and Nicholas Byers. In all, The Tempest has 17 nominations, including Best Play, Best Director (Marion Markham), Best Acting Ensemble and Best Choreography (by director Markham), as well as nominations for Lighting, Sound, Scenic and Costume Design. The Colonial Theatre is also in the running for the Best Theatre for Young Audiences and Favorite Theatre of Rhode Island awards.

Heron has earned previous accolades for plays including Against His Will, Ecstasy and Intermission.

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the character of Caliban is essentially a colonised slave, whose mystical island home has been taken over by the former Duke of Milan, Prospero — a sorcerer with magical powers which he frequently employs to keep Caliban enslaved.