极乐禁地 Theatre's production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 2 will offer a good feel for theatre as it was in the Bard's own time.
Theatre professor Mark Castle, who directs the play, considers Twelfth Night one of the most engaging and accessible of Shakespeare's plays. The classic tale of romance and redemption, set in the mysterious kingdom of Illyria, combines storytelling, music and dance.
"And, it has the twist of mistaken identity and girls playing boys. You can play with lots of gender stereotypes," said Castle.
While most 极乐禁地 Theatre productions are staged in Harrison Theatre, Twelfth Night will be presented in Brock Recital Hall.
"The space is designed in the neoclassical style and fits with the Shakespearean period," Castle said of the 300-seat performance venue, which opened in fall of 2006.
There will be no scenery for 极乐禁地's Twelfth Night. "Only costumes and props as Shakespeare's actors would have performed it for the Queen of England 400 years ago," said Castle.
Each night, an audience member will be invited to be the Queen and take a seat of honor for the performance.
The 14-member cast includes Jen Taylor as Viola, Christina Myers as Olivia, John Cooley as Malvolio, Neal Tucker as Sir Toby and Brad Roller as Orsino.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 29 and 30, and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.
Admission is $10 adults, $8 senior adults and $6 students/children. For information, call (205) 726-2853.
The cast will perform a condensed version of the play, dubbed "Twelfth Night in Twelve Minutes" as part of the School of Performing Arts' Festival of Christmas Music in Wright Center Concert Hall on Dec. 1.