The actors of The Little Theatre on the campus of Central Methodist University are having great fun launching one of Shakespeare’s most humorous comedies, Twelfth Night (or What You Will, as the subtitle indicates).
Believed to have been presented at the end of the Christmas Season, during a brief joyous celebration just prior to Epiphany in the church, the comic play lays out a story of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements, a fairly common theme of the Bard.
The play will be performed in The Little Theatre at Central on Thursday through Saturday nights, April 27–29, at 7:30 p.m., and again on Sunday afternoon, April 30 at 1:30 p.m.
The public is encouraged to come. Tickets are $8 each for adults, $2 for CMU students with identifications, and $5 for CMU faculty and staff.
In the play, when twins, Viola and her brother, Sebastian, are shipwrecked off the coast, Viola makes it to shore with the help of the captain. However, she believes her brother has drowned. Thinking it will be easier to land a job, she “changes” her gender and becomes Cesario, and enters the service of Duke Orsino.
It isn’t long before she falls in love with the Duke. Unfortunately, he has fallen in love with the lady of the house, Olivia, who is in mourning for her recently deceased father and brother. To her surprise, though, she falls in love with the new young Cesario, making a very awkward love triangle. The play gets in quite a tangle before all resolves for the best, as is common in Shakespeare’s comedies.
Directing the play is Dr. Mark Kelty, CMU professor of theatre. His assistant director and stage manager is senior Parker Johnson (computer science major from Richmond).
The cast is comprised of Addison McGuire (senior biology major from Higbee) as Orsino; Katie Roberts (senior theatre arts major from Rolla) as Viola; Aaron (Donald) Johnson (freshman psychology major from Laddonia) as Sir Toby Belch; Cori Bryan (freshman music education major from Springfield) as Maria; Dalton Grafton (freshman theatre arts major from Lexington) as Sir Andrew Aguecheek;
Breilly Roy (senior marine biology major from Trenton) as Feste the Fool; Myriah Araiza (freshman theatre arts major from Columbia) as Olivia; Nickie Foland (senior communication major from Fayette) as Malvolio; Donald Sledge (senior computer science major from Florissant) as Antonio; Ben Kixmiller (freshman theatre arts major from Prairie Home) as Sebastian;
Clarice Fels (sophomore environmental science major from Springfield) as Fabian; Abby Wimberly (junior theatre arts major from Independence) as Curio/Officer 2; Hunter Atterbury (senior business major from Keytesville) as Valentine/Officer 1; and Jordan Cassmeyer (junior mathematics major from Jefferson City) as Captain/Priest.
Crew members include Karlie Noll (senior theatre arts major from New Cambria) as dramaturge; Prof. Greg Owen, on set design; Prof. Terri Rohlfing on costume design; assistant Chuck Thompson as scene shop foreman; Nick Barnes (sophomore biology major from Columbia) on lighting design; Dalton Grafton (freshman theatre arts major from Lexington) on sound design;
Breilly Roy and Myriah Araiza on publicity; Natalie Van Horn (sophomore marine biology major from Raymore) on props; Emma Wyble (junior early childhood education major from Columbia) and Alex Fjeseth (junior religion and special education double major from Hulbert, Okla.) as light crew;
Terri Banderet (junior biology major from St. Louis) on costumes; and Taylor Perry (freshman music education major from Centralia), Drew (Charles) Wood (sophomore pre-major from Jefferson City) and Ashley Brewer (freshman theatre arts major from Salisbury) as props crew.
Music prior to the acts will be provided by the Big Bang Brass Quintet, which includes Dr. John Perkins, CMU professor of music (trumpet), and other professional musicians Margaret Davis (trumpet), Lester Jaron (horn), David Witter (trombone), and Angelo Manzo (tuba). They will be playing 1920s jazz music.
