Cast Announced for TWELFTH NIGHT at Classical Theatre Of Harlem

The Classical Theatre of Harlem, a professional theater company that has brought audiences Black artistic excellence for over two decades, announced casting today for its upcoming production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at Marcus Garvey Park in East Harlem July 5-29. The play will be free to the public and reservations can be made starting today.

Continuing CTH's mission to place diversity at the forefront of their performances, this interpretation of Twelfth Night will engage with the global conversation aroun equity and inclusion. It features a majority-Black team of artists lead by director Carl Cofield, CTH's Associate Artistic Director.

"With its Afrofuturistic aesthetic and diverse team of artists, our production of Twelfth Night will tackle the global conversation around equity, diversity, and in lusion," said Cofield. "I look forward to showing audiences what the magical world of Illyria can teach us here and now."

Kara Young, who will be playing Viola in the production, adds, "This is for Harlem, this is for my place of birth, this is for the community, especially for the people who are still here."

The Twelfth Night creative team includes:

• Tiffany Rea-Fisher: Choreographer
• Rick Sordelet: Fight Director
• Christian Kelly-Sordelet: Fight Director
• Riw Rakkulchon: Scenic Designer
• Mika Eubanks: Costume Designer
• Alan C. Edwards: Lighting Designer
• Frederick Kennedy: Composer & Sound Designer
• Brittany Bland: Projection Designer
• Samantha Shoffner: Properties Designer
• Earon Nealey: Hair & Makeup Designer
• Jessica Forella*: Production Stage Manager
• Chris Steckel*: Stage Manager

The Twelfth Night cast is as follows:

• J'Laney Allen: Sebastian
• William DeMeritt*: Orsino
• Jaylen Eashmond: Sea Captain, First Officer, understudy Sir Toby
• Carson Elrod*: Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Denzel Fields*: Antonio
• Kat Files+: Dancer
• Israel Erron Ford*: Feste
• Allen Gilmore*: Malvolio
• Denzzyl Green+: Dancer
• Alisa Gregory+: Dancer
• Brynlie Helmich+: Dancer
• Alexandria King*: Understudy Viola & Olivia
• Maddy LaLonde+: Dancer
• Anthony Lalor*: Ensemble, understudy Valentine, Sea Captain, Fabian, Antonio
• Cassandra Lopez*: Maria
• Collin McConnell: Ensemble, understudy Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Chivas Michael*: Sir Toby
• Othello Pratt, Jr. *: Valentine, Servant, Ensemble, understudy Feste
• Christina Sajous*: Olivia
• Donathan Walters: Fabian, Sailor, Ensemble, understudy Orsino
• Kara Young*: Viola

* denotes member of Actors' Equity Association + denotes member of Emerge125

Twelfth Night will mark the 10th year CTH has brought free theater to Marcus Garvey Park, continuing its mission to create a vibrant community hub for theater and the arts in the heart of Harlem.

"While BIPOC productions are popular at this moment, The Classical Theatre of Harlem has been at the forefront of changing the face of American theater for ars," said Ty Jones. "We have been persistent in challenging classical texts to make them more vibrant and relevant for the communities that have been sidelined for much of the histor of American theater. Twelfth Night will not only continue the conversation but spark new opportunities with and for the communities we serve."

About The Classical Theatre Of Harlem

The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is an American theater company that tells stories through the lens of he African diaspora. CTH combines original adaptations, music, and dance to present great classics of world literature and contemporary works that will st nd the test of time. Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented works ranging from traditional classical playwrights (Anton Chekhov, Euripides and William Shakespeare) to established 20th-century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes and Jean Genet) to new plays by merging playwrights. CTH also proudly provides theater-based training and live theater experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education progr m, Project Classics. The organization incorporates other theater-related programming including Future Classics, Playwrights' Playground, and Revisited Classics to engage new audiences, invest in artistic development and give exposure to emerging creators.

The company serves over 18,000 live audience mem ers (pre-pandemic). Its new online offerings have drawn over 500,000 viewers. To learn more, visit https://www.cthnyc.org/

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