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Twelfth Night

Sunday, April 25, 2010 • Times vary by date

Valparaiso University Center for the Arts University Theatre

“Twelfth Night” directed by Dr. Lee Orchard, professor of theatre at Valparaiso University, will be performed in the University Theatre in the Center for the Arts April 21 to 23 at 8 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on April 24 and 25. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased online at http://www.valpo.edu/vuca/ticket.php or by calling (219) 464-5162.

“In this production, we are working to make Shakespeare more accessible and understandable,” said Dr. Orchard. “Part of the audience will actually be seated on stage, and there will be constant and lively interaction between the characters and the audience throughout the play.”

“Twelfth Night” is believed to have been written by Shakespeare around the year 1601 for the close of the Christmas season. Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, the play centers on mistaken identity. The leading character, Viola, is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria – which was in the Montenegro region along the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea – and loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes is dead.

“One of the questions this play asks is ‘What do you do when you find yourself thrown out of the boat and into an unfamiliar place?’” said Dr. Orchard. “Through the performance, you are able to watch that character Viola on her quest to find her brother again, and in the process, she finds herself.”

Dr. Dennis Friesen-Carper, Reddel professor of music and conductor of Valpo’s symphony orchestra, has composed all original songs for Valpo’s production of “Twelfth Night” and selected four student musicians to perform them live during the play.

“‘Twelfth Night’ is known as Shakepeare’s musical,” said Dr. Orchard, noting that the cast will be in cultural specific costumes, reflecting the fashions of Illyria. “We want the audience to be surrounded by the sounds and scenes of the time, and feel as if they are right alongside the characters as they travel on their journeys.”

Major roles in the performance include Viola, played by Lisa Morton, a senior theology and youth, education and family ministry major from Gurnee, Ill.; Olivia, played by Emily Newport, a junior theatre and international economics and cultural affairs major from Overland Park, Kan.; and Malvolio, by Joe Miller, a senior theatre and public relations major from Flanagan, Ill.

More information about Valpo’s Department of Theatre can be found online at http://www.valpo.edu/theatre.

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Category: Arts & Culture

April Calendar