TOWAMENCIN – William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is leading off North Penn High School Theatre’s 2012-2013 season with romance, music, swashbuckling sword fights, love lost and found, and pirates! 

By tradition, Elizabeth I requested a play about Twelfth Night, the time of year following Christmas when traditional English families were turned upside down for one day as servants ruled the household and masters served the servants, women and men changed roles, and a time of fun and misrule ensued.  Shakespeare also changes the rules of society in Twelfth Night turning everyone’s relationships upside and down and showing the foolishness that can result from excesses of appetite in love, food and drink, and desire for social position.

The most musical of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night has been delighting audiences for 400 years as the courageous heroine Viola (Erica Hutchinson, junior), dons her drowned brother’s clothing, following her own rescue from a shipwreck, in order to safely traverse the Dukedom of Illyria on which she has landed.   From there, the adventure begins as Viola becomes a waiting gentleman to Duke Orsino, (Pascal Portney, senior) charged with wooing the Countess Olivia (Shweta Akolkar, senior) for the Duke.  But Olivia is in mourning for her own dead brother and wishes no romance –  until she falls in love with Viola in boy’s clothing.  Viola is forced to continue her masquerade even as she has fallen in love with Orsino but must woo Olivia for the Duke.  A bit a love triangle, you say!  Yes, as only Shakespeare can write them.  Add Olivia’s party-loving uncle, Sir Toby (Tyler Ivey, junior), and his bumbling friend Sir Andrew (Niko Markopulos, junior) who manage to convince Olivia’s supercilious steward Malvolio (Nathan Borzillo, junior) that Olivia is in love with him.  Into this comic mix steps Sebastian (Alex Breth, junior), Viola’s brother, not drowned but saved from the sea by the pirate captain, Antonia (Hayley Ulmer, junior).  Sebastian is immediately mistaken for Viola by everyone.  A series of madcap mishaps and mistaken identities complete the chaos.  However, in the end, the destined lovers find each other, the world is righted and “all’s well that ends well” to quote Shakespeare himself.

Nearly sixty students are rehearsing for the production or are building the set, sewing costumes, hanging lights and microphones, and creating the romantic world of Twelfth Night.  The production has also been invited to the 2012 Pennsylvania State Thespian Conference and will be performed on the Central York High School Main Stage on Friday, November 30 at 8:00 PM to 1,000 theatre students and their teachers and directors. This is the fourth year in a row that NPHS Theatre is performing their fall production at the Conference.  Sharing Twelfth Night will be a particular joy.

Studying Shakespeare is an integral part of the Drama Major class at North Penn High School.  Students interested in acting must prepare a Shakespeare monologue each year.  Students interested in design must design sets, costumes, props, or marketing strategies, for one Shakespeare play set in both a classical and contemporary style.  Drama Majors are leading the cast and crew in understanding Shakespeare and bringing Twelfth Night to life.

For over a decade students from North Penn have participated in the English-Speaking Union’s Philadelphia Branch High School Competition and have placed in the top 10 all but two years – with five students going on to represent the Philadelphia Branch at the National Competition at Lincoln Center. For five years, NPHS Theatre has also competed in the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s (PSF) High School Competition at DeSales University. “Team Shakespeare” has brought home 3 first place, 1 second place, and 1 third place team trophies and numerous monologue and duet scene trophies.  North Penn graduate, Daniel Bound-Black (2008) won the first monologue trophy and top scholarships to DeSales University at the PSF competition.  He graduated from DeSales last spring and recently performed professionally as Benevolio in the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Current North Penn students Pascal Portney and Erica Hutchinson, starring in Twelfth Night, were trophy and scholarship recipients at the Shakespeare competitions last year. 

So “brush up your Shakespeare” and join NPHS Theatre for Twelfth Night November 15, 16, & 17 at 7:30 PM and November 17 at 2:00 PM for the Family Matinee.  (Children over 10 will enjoy the production!)  Tickets will be available at the door every night beginning at 7:00 PM.  Or download an order form at www.npenn.org and return to hold your tickets at the Will Call Table.  Ticket Prices:  $10 (Adults), $5 (Students), Free for Senior Citizens with Gold Cards.  Silver and Gold Cards must be presented in person to receive your complimentary ticket.  Great seats are available for all shows.