“Twelfth Night” airs for students on the twelfth night

In less than two weeks, the Northwestern Theatre department will once again be putting on a show that will be one to remember. Shakespeare’s one and only comedy with more mistaken identities and deception is known as “Twelfth Night”. This show is opening on November 13th at 7:30 pm in the Procenium Theatre in the Theatre building. The rest of the dates and times include the 15th, then 20th-22nd of November which are all at 7:30 pm. On the 15th of November, there is the one and only 2:00pm manatee show open to the public. This is a wonderful chance to be able to see quality theatre done by students and faculty. While the first official show is on Thursday, November 13th, the student preview is happening on the Twelfth of November. 

To start off with, what is “Twelfth Night” about? A cast member put it greatly saying, “The play is about a young woman (Viola) who has to disguise herself as a man (Cesario) in order to make a living. Her boss, Orsino, is in love with Olivia, and proceeds to send Cesario to her in hopes of winning her hand. Olivia is very much not interested in Orsino, but is very interested in Cesario… But Cesario, who is really Viola, is in love with Orsino- what to do? As the hijinks unfold, we also watch a crew of witty idiots get their revenge on a higher-than-thou kind of man, by making him believe that Olivia loves her servant, Malvolio! Essentially, strap yourself in for a wild ride and a lot of laughs.” This Shakespearian play is one that will have you on the edge of your seat and you will be laughing for days.

When getting to talk to some of the cast they had some noteworthy statements that they wanted to share. Abby Bram, the assistant stage manager for this production of “Twelfth Night”, she said, “Every character has at least one absolutely hilarious moment that makes me and Lydia, who is the stage manager, have to take a hot sec to just mildly die of laughter while trying to do our job. I hope that the audience will just come in and have a good time even if they don’t expect it.” Next cast member is Raquel who plays the character Maria in the play who is described as “the sassy right hand to the fair lady Olivia. She also has some great ideas about how to take people down a peg or two!” Raquel would like the audience to take away from this production the following, “Life can be silly goofy and we can giggle about it. And that Shakespeare isn’t as intimidating as we all think it is! Don’t get me wrong, it’s still tricky, but better than you would expect.” Then when talking with James Cavanary who plays Sebastian in the play, he said his favorite moment is when his character uses a banana instead of a sword. He wants the audience to know, quote, “That this show should not be taken seriously.” Another amazing opportunity that the cast gets is on Friday, November 14th. Northwestern is hosting a group of high school students who are coming to see the show at 9:00am. This is another great way that the theatre department gets to be a blessing to the community and to help bring the joy of theatre to these students. 

This is a wonderful way to be able to come and support great art being made not just for campus, but for the whole community. To be able to experience a shared moment with one another while watching a play that is wild and hilarious. “Twelfth Night” is a wonderful opportunity to come and give positive feedback to the young artists and designers who have worked and dedicated many hours into this production. Come out and see it the weekend of the 13th and the 20th of November!