Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT Receives A Bluegrass Makeover At The Madnani Theatre

Step into the light of your purest (or most muddled) desire and join us for a fiddle-rompin', bluegrass stompin' adaptation of a timeless, merry classic. Hyperactive Studios is thrilled to present a re-imagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, opening next weekend at The Madnani Theatre in Hollywood.

 

Directed by Hyperactive's multi-hyphenate Sonny Lira, Twelfth Night is about discovering your truest self and being honest about your desires, which is ironic for a play where characters spend most of their time beguiled, bamboozled, and blasted with drink!  In their state of confusion and mistaken identity, a kernel of truth manifests: How many masks do we wear in a day? And how many parts of ourselves do we hide or disguise in order to feel safe and loved by our peers? 

 

Twelfth Night will run for four performances at The Madnani Theatre in Hollywood from February 9th-17th.

 

William Shakespeare's romantic comedy Twelfth Night, or What You Will centers around the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as a man) enters the service of Duke Orsino who she subsequently falls in love with and who, in turn, is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man. Chaos ensues as this mad-cap lover's web deliciously unfolds.

 

“Between the drunken faux pas, the endless trolling, and the slap stick verbosity, Twelfth Night isn't “nice”, but it's “good”; it can be gritty and mean as a sailor, but it's hell-bent on sharing a boisterous laugh and a deep love for revelry!”, says producer/director Sonny Lira.

 

 

The cast includes Raiya Wen, Miloh England, DeMarcus Brooks, Sam Brock, Scout Gutzmerson, Johnny Austen, J “Nihilist Gelo” Scott, Ben Horwitz, Christina Conte, Jerry Gureghian, Sonny Lira, Josafat Martinez, and Sadie C.

 

Sonny Lira (Director/Producer) is a musician, artist, dancer, and producer from Los Angeles. His goal is to build a formidable production company that produces classically informed work for a culturally diverse and modern audience. Want to be a part of Hyperactive Studio's next project!? Follow us on Instagram @Hyperactivestudios

 

Ben Horwitz (Sir Andrew), an avid Shakespeare enthusiast, graduated from Stella Adler Studio of Acting in 2014. He journeyed out to LA and has worked with multiple theatre companies including, Antaeus Theatre company, Echo Theatre Company, Shakespeare Orange County, and House of Bards Theatre.

 

Christina Conte (Olivia) is an award winning actor, director and educator. She has toured the Northeast Coast with theater companies, writing and acting in televised and live plays. Christina received her Bachelor's degree in theater from Tufts University, Master's Degree from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television and acted at Harvard University's Loeb Theater in Brecht and Genet. Christina was recently seen in the one-person cabaret she wrote based on Angelyne.

 

DeMarcus Brooks (Antonio) studied Theatre at Central Michigan University. He most recently appeared as Alioune (understudy) in Bellville at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.

 

J "Nihilist Gelo" Scott (Sir Toby Belch) began acting at the age of six in The Christmas Carol because he could catch the coin. Dubbed "an industrial accident" by the Chicago Reader, Nihilist is an eight-time published playwright., including his protested production of 33: A Question of Doubt, a musical about John Wayne Gacy. Nihilist is mostly not known as the co-host and harmony vocalist of puppet punk rock parody band Green Jellö.

 

Jerry Gureghian (Malvolio), a multifaceted actor, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles, trained at Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and with Tim Robbins' "Actors' Gang." Jerry stars in the upcoming Tin Soldier with Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro. He is fluent in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish.

 

Johnny Austen (Count Orsino) is an Australian actor, having spent over a decade training in this craft. In Australia, he performed as a member of the State Drama Company, and worked alongside the Arts Unit. Since arriving in the US, he attended AMDA and graduated with his BFA in Performing Arts: Acting. During his time here, he has performed in Twelfth Night, The Romantics, and is now blessed with the opportunity to leave his mark on Duke Orsino in this production.

 

Joe Martinez Garza (Curio) studied acting at AGB studios and Nancy Friedman acting studio in Los Angeles, The Studio Orlando in Florida, and took acting classes at NYU while studying engineering and earned a certificate in Performing Arts Industry Essentials from Tish x Backstage in New York.

 

Miloh England (Sebastian) Originally from Huntsville, AL. Miloh grew up in and around sports, participating in basketball and football all the way up to his high school years. However, Miloh took a drama class in school and his passion for acting began to take shape. When not focusing on his craft, Miloh likes to read, play sports, travel, and learn about anything that will continue to help him grow as a human being.

 

Raiya Wen (Viola) was born and raised in Southern California before attending the University of Illinois(Urbana-Champaign) for a BFA degree in Acting. She is an actor, first and foremost, but is also a published playwright, director, and educator. A graduate from the 2022 class, Raiya is excited to be back home fostering new connections, projects, and art.

 

Sadie C (Ensemble) Even as I read the script for the fourth time I am still confused by all this drama. Oh Sir Shakespeare!

 

Sam Brock (Fabian) is an actor, singer and songwriter originally from Longmeadow Massachusetts. Brock is a recent graduate of Pepperdine University, where he obtained a BA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in acting. Brock has worked professionally at several theaters in LA, and has performed several concerts with original music. Learn more on Instagram @sambrockinsta 

 

Scout Gutzmerson (Maria) moved to Los Angeles from Austin, TX 2 years ago and has loved every second of living here. This is her first production with Hyperactive Studios. Previous film credits include Summer Nights, Hang In There, Call Your Mom, and The Obituary of Sandy Warren.

 

The Madnani Theatre located at 6760 Lexington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Twelfth Night runs for four shows over two weekends February 9th - 17th. Single tickets are priced at $20 and $25 and available online at HYPERACTIVE.BOOKTIX.COM.

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