The
Aquila Theatre Company will present a new version of William
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which will begin its 10-week limited
engagement at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on June 17th, with an
official opening night set for June 25th at 8 PM; it will run to August
21st. Created and directed by Peter Meineck and Robert Richmond,
Twelfth Night features original music by Anthony Cochrane.
Aquila's Twelth Night recently wound it way around the United States in a tour, where it played 65 venues ranging in size from 300 – 2,000 seats. It "spins classic tale of mistaken
identity, unrequited love, bereavement and the repressive threats of a
puritanical zealot with an eclectic mix of musical styles – harpsichord
and lute meet drum and bass. Complete with cross-dressing and
swordplay, this adaptation revisits Shakespeare's Elizabethan comedy,
evoking a fantastical world where true love cannot be repressed,"
states a press release.
Twelth Night's cast includes veterans Anthony Cochrane as Sir Toby Belch, Kenn Sabberton as Malvolio, Lisa Carter as Olivia, Louis Butelli as Feste, Lindsay Rae Taylor as Viola, Andrew Schwartz as Orsino, Lincoln Hudson as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Natasha Piletich as Maria; all of these actors have been involved in Aquila productions in the past.
Creator/director Meinkick is the Aquila Theatre Company's Founding
Artistic Director, while Richmond is the Associate Artistic Director.
"The
Aquila Theatre Company creates a modern parallel with Shakespeare's
traveling players, believing that the greatest dramatic works should be
seen by the greatest number of people...Aquila
combines the techniques of British and American theatre--its actors
hail from the United Kingdom and the United States--fusing different
acting traditions and Shakespearean methodologies into a coherent
company style." The company, which was founded in 1991 by Meinkick, has won strong reviews for its innovative productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors and non-Shakespearean pieces such as Aeschylus' Agamemnon and Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King. Aquila has also presented a series of new readings called Aquila
Explorations, most recently with Bill Pullman reading the role of
Oedipus in a new translation of Oedipus at Colonus.
The world premiere of a brand new dance-drama adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man
will wrap up Aquila's 2005 season. The work is a collaboration with
choreographer Doug Varone, and will run from October 21st to November
6th.
Twelfth Night's
performance schedule is: Thursday – Saturday at 8:00 PM with matinees
Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 PM. The Baruch Performing Arts Center is
located at 25th Street between Lexington & Third Avenues.
Tickets,
which are $25 - $45, are available online at TicketCentral.com or by
calling (212) 279-4200. Also, tickets may be purchased at the BPAC box
office Monday – Thursday (1:00–6:00 PM) and two hours prior to curtain:
phone (646) 312-4085. For Group information, call (212) 998-8017.