Expect music, spectacle, and entertainment from UMD’s “Twelfth Night”
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University of Minnesota Duluth’s Department of Theatre is gearing up for a production of “Twelfth Night”. It’s the usual Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identities but as director and assistant director Lou Divine and Jenna Soleo-Shanks tell us we can expect more. It’s set in the 1960s, a time much closer to the one we live in, making it more relatable.
They tell us to expect music, “We have a band onstage. That allows us to expect music throughout. They’re a little bit like the Beatles but we call them the “Illyrian Drift” because it’s set in Illyria.”
“The plot is a spectacle of itself. We have drunks, we have clowns, and we have cross-dressed characters. Mistaken identify. And the whole thing revolves around a love triangle. Lots of misdirection and confusion.” The play itself overcomes conventions of class and gender.
Lou tells us to expect to laugh if we go, “I’ve definitely learned how to work with the actors and to follow their instincts to create interesting scenes. We’ve got a lot of clowns, and they’re super funny so they bring a lot to the table.”
If you’re not a Shakespeare fan per say, Jenna tells us that you can still enjoy this rendition of Twelfth Night. “We’re going to come in at a crisp two hours. So if your idea is that Shakespeare is a real investment of your time, know that it’s just going to be entertainment.”
University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Theatre is gearing up for a production of "Twelfth Night". It's the usual Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identities but as director and assistant director Lou Divine and Jenna Soleo-Shanks tell us we can expect more
IF YOU DECIDE TO GO:
Feb 7 – 11, 2023 | 7:30 pm
Feb 11 & 12, 2023 | 2 pm
ASL performance: Sun, Feb 12, 2023 | 2 pm
At the Marshal Performing Arts Center Mainstage