A shipwreck causes twins Viola and Sebastian to be separated in a strange land both fearing the loss of their sibling. They have to start their lives again, alone. Viola disguises herself as her lost brother and determinedly enters the household of Duke Orsino as his servant. Orsino loves the beautiful Countess Olivia, Viola falls in love with Orsino and Olivia falls for Viola and then enter-Sebastian. A tale of mistaken identity and unrequited love ensues! This hilarious and delightful comedy is packed full of quirky and compelling characters and this version will be performed by an all-female cast in a refreshing, lively version. Think summer, think sunshine, think Illyria –by –the –sea!
Twelfth Night invokes a sense of fun with revels and drinking and pranks and women who are strong and reckless, so setting it in the 1920s fitted with the hedonistic style of those times. The 1920s was also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’. For the ‘Bright Young Things’ from the aristocracy and wealthier classes, life had never been better. Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars flourished in the cities. The self -indulgent lifestyle portrayed in books and films such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ was perhaps for some, an escape from reality. This generation had largely missed the war, being too young to fight. Perhaps there was a sense of guilt that they had escaped the horrors of war and they felt a need to enjoy life to the full, because so many other young lives had been lost on the battlefields of Flanders. P.G. Wodehouse and Nancy Mitford politely poke fun at the socialites and upper classes in their novels and give a good idea of the heady days of the 1920s. Women felt more confident and empowered and this new independence was reflected in the new fashions. Hair was shorter, dresses were shorter, and women started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. The attractive, reckless, independent ‘flapper’ appeared on the scene, shocking society with her wild behaviour. Girl Power 1920s-style had arrived!
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Women actors can often find themselves playing a wife, a mother, a girlfriend, a secretary, generalised roles that are not always empowering or challenging. So, producing an all-female production with some iconic characters created by William Shakespeare was a wonderful and exciting opportunity to be able to offer something very different, rewarding and meaty to the thirteen women in Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night is the only one of William Shakespeare’s plays that has a second title: ‘What You Will’... which does convey an invitation for us to make what we will of the play. It suggests an ‘anything goes’ attitude where social boundaries are crossed, and gender mis-identity creates a back to front world of ambiguity and confusion so an all-female cast fits this remit rather well. Our plan was not to try to impersonate men but to have the opportunity to play characters not usually offered to women. We have looked beyond gender and have
had great fun exploring the characters’ relationships, their power struggles, their needs, their sadness, their frustrations and their yearnings. With some parts we made the choice of ignoring the gender and letting the actor play the character how she felt best. We discovered that Feste as a ‘woman fool’ our ‘Lady of Misrule’, opened up a new slant in her suspicion of Cesario and her repression by Malvolio and Mistress Fabian cut through the bourgeoisie, turning the social hierarchy upside down. Twelfth Night is about sexual reversals and how people can love their same gender and having an all-female cast delivering this has been illuminating, liberating and great fun. |
Women actors taking on male roles in the theatre has flagged up controversy and dispute in the media. I’m going to hand over to David Aaronovitch of The Times who sums up ‘the breaking of the norm’ for women in theatre in an article he wrote last year:
“Pedantic casting is obviously a boon for white male actors for whom so many parts have been written. But it can also have a deadening effect on the drama, dropping us into our comfort zone. Can Romeo and Juliet be gay lovers? I’d say they can, not as a gimmick but as an exploration of transgressive love. It is absurd to insist on realistic casting in theatre. This is where we suspend disbelief as soon as a performance begins, or as Shakespeare put it in Henry V, we’re prepared to accept that ‘this cockpit’ can hold 'the vasty fields of France’, or that half a dozen actors banging about with swords and shouting can conjure up the Wars of The Roses. If we can buy that, then why can’t a woman play King Lear?” |
"What imagination! Quite an achievement. Loved the ending, the seagull was a master moment and it was great to see Malvolio having the last laugh!"
"Imagination and creativity shone through"
"This concept had a totally fresh take on it"
"There were subtle little details thrown in and sub plots explored here and there which added depth and variety"
Audience Feedback
"Imagination and creativity shone through"
"This concept had a totally fresh take on it"
"There were subtle little details thrown in and sub plots explored here and there which added depth and variety"
Audience Feedback