Carnivalesque 'Twelfth Night' Performs For Nevada Students

From January to April, the Utah Shakespearean Festival will take its education tour of "Twelfth Night" to more than 70,000 students in four western states. The tour visits Nevada with performances for students from February 2 to 23. A complete Nevada tour schedule is attached.

"‘Twelfth Night' is one of Shakespeare's great comedies, because of its accessibility and relevance," said Festival Education Director Michael Bahr. "Students relate easily to the familiar elements that Shakespeare uses in the play: twins separated, girls disguised as boys, and mistaken identities."

The tour will spend 14 weeks on the road visiting schools, community centers, and prisons across Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona with 55 performances. For more information and a complete tour schedule call 435-586-7880.

In the style of a roving carnival group, this troupe of actors and technicians present Shakespeare's beloved comedy in a new and exciting way. At the start of the production the actors arrive carrying trunks filled with costumes and props. Eight actors play the 18 different roles, and audiences will actually see the actors put on various costumes and become different characters.

Director Ann Tully worked with her designers to create a timeless yet contemporary feel for the production. The costume design combines modern dress with Shakespearean dress illuminating the fact that the characters in "Twelfth Night" are always playing a role and hiding the person they truly are.

"At one time or another, most people pretend to be someone they are not," said Bahr. "This is especially common with junior high and high school students who costume themselves to fit in certain categories: the jock, the cowboy, etc. Throughout our teens, we engage in role-playing in our struggle to survive, fit in, and discover ourselves."

Tully says her concept for the production originated in this idea of role-playing and costumes. "All the characters in the play are in disguise at some point or another," said Tully. "They are continuously pretending to be something they are not, and they all eventually learn to be honest with themselves and others."

Each year, the Festival creates a production of a great Shakespeare classic to visit communities across four western states. This eleven-person group serves as both the acting company and technical crew for each production, with eight actors, a stage manager, technical director, and company manager. The company also works with students in workshops ranging from stage combat to Shakespearean text.

"Twelfth Night" Nevada Tour Schedule
- February 2-13 at the College of Southern Nevada (3200 E. Cheyenne, Las Vegas) at 9:30 a.m. Public performances at 8:00 p.m. on Feb. 6 and at 2:00 p.m. on Feb. 7.
-February 19 at Earnest May Elementary (6350 W Washburn Rd, Las Vegas, NV) at 9:15 a.m.
- February 20 at Parson Elementary (4100 Thom Blvd, Las Vegas, NV) at 10 a.m.
- February 21 at Pahrump Valley High School (501 E Calvada Blvd, Pahrump, NV) at 7 p.m.
- February 23 at Moapa Valley High School (2400 St Joseph St, Logandale, NV) at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- April 3 at the Eureka Opera House (31 S. Main St., Eureka, NV) 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.