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TWELFTH NIGHT
July
20-August 5,
7:00 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday 2:00 p.m. Sunday
Hall
Auditorium
Oberlin College Located at 67 N. Main St. (Route 58), between the Allen
Art Museum and the Oberlin Inn.
Free Admission:
Central Ticket Service 24-hour reservation line, (440) 775-8169.
Located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium.
Media
Contact:
Paul
Moser (440) 775-8151 paul.moser@oberlin.edu
FREE FAMILY THEATER DELIGHTS AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES WITH SHAKESPEARE'S TWELFTH NIGHT, JULY 20-AUGUST 5
JULY 3, 2001--Free family theater returns to Lorain County Friday, July 20, with the Black River Theater Company's presention of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The free performances will run July 20 through August 5, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:00 P.M. and Sundays at 2:00 P.M. at Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium. The audience will be seated in an intimate in-the-round arrangement on the stage itself, all seats within five rows of the actors. Though admission is free, there is limited seating, so audience members are encouraged to make reservations early by calling 440- 775-8169.
The Black River Theater Company (BRTC) is a professional acting ensemble consisting of Actors' Equity Association members, community players and Oberlin College alumni and theater students. BRTC productions are a wonderful opportunity to expose young people to the experience of live theater; plays are adapted to be fun and accessible to people of all ages. Up to 25 percent of BRTC audiences have been under 18. This summer's production of Twelfth Night marks BRTC's fifth consecutive free family Shakespeare.
Oberlin College, the Nordson Corporation Foundation, the Nord Family Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council have generously supported BRTC's production of Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night
Twelfth
Night is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, and is a romantic
comedy about unrequited love. The plot revolves around Viola, who--shipwrecked
in Illyria--disguises herself as a young man. She is soon in the employ
of Orsino, the local Duke, who sends her off to woo for him his unrequited
love, the beautiful countess Olivia. The plot thickens when Olivia falls
in love with Viola (mistaking her for a man) and Viola herself falls in
love with Orsino. Meanwhile, Olivia's uncle and an assortment of other
clownish friends engage in various highjinks to torment Olivia's mean-spirited
stewart, Malvolio. There is, of course, a happy ending--but not until
much confusion of identity, ironic twists of fate, and zany merriment
have taken place. Artistic director Paul Moser--who produced all four
previous BRTC family Shakespeare productions--will direct Twelfth Night.
Moser has directed extensively in regional theaters, including productions
at the Cincinnati Playhouse, Indiana Rep, and Portland Stage.
A live score performed by composer Andrew Bertoni will accompany the production. Bertoni also created the score for BRTC's 1999 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Actor's Equity
and Community Performers
Twelfth Night will feature four local professional equity actors. Scott
Plate, who is well known to Cleveland area audiences, will play the
Duke, Orsino. Plate has acted and directed at a variety of local theaters,
including the Doboma, Cain Park, and at the Great Lakes Theater Festival.
New to area theaters, Mirla Criste (OC '85) will play the Countess,
Olivia. Criste's credits include work ranging from L.A. to Broadway, where
she was featured in Miss Saigon for several years. Glenn Colerider
returns this summer to play the clown, Feste. Colerider performed in several
BRTC productions, and has performed at the Cleveland Playhouse and the
Ensemble Theater. Neil Thackaberry, who appeared last summer in
BRTC's production of Prince Hal and Falstaff, will return to play
the role of Malvolio. Thackaberry has performed in many area theaters,
and recently founded the Actors' Summit Theater Company in Hudson, Ohio.
Diane Mull will make her BRTC debut in the role of Viola. Mull
has performed locally at the Doboma, Bad Epitaph, and Cleveland Public
theaters, in addition to appearing in the Cleveland Shakespeare and Great
Lakes Theater Festivals. Rounding out the cast are returning BRTC veterans
Eric Cowley as Sir Toby Belch, Rajiv Punja as Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, Nicholas Sweeney as Antonio, and David Cotton
as Fabian; the cast also will include local newcomers Tracey Field
as Maria and Stefan Grube as Sebastian.
Location and Ticket
Information
Twelfth Night will be performed at Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium (located
on Rt. 58, across from Tappan Square and between the Allen Memorial Art
Museum and the Oberlin Inn). Hall Auditorium is air-conditioned and wheel
chair accessible. There is plenty of free parking and a wide range of
restaurants (in all price ranges), shops and galleries within easy walking
distance. All tickets are free (though donations are happily accepted).
Reservations can be made by calling the Central Ticket Service at 440-775-8474.
Tickets are held at the door until one half hour before curtain time.
Media Contact: Paul Moser
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