(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- The Holmdel Theatre Company is bringing Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s beloved comedy of gender confusion, to the Duncan Smith Theater stage this summer. This production opens Friday, July 24th and runs through Saturday, August 8th, 2015.
Twelfth Night is a story of mistaken identity, concealed truth, and comic revelation. When siblings, Viola (portrayed by Olivia Mullen) and Sebastian (Myles Linzy), are shipwrecked off the coastal region of Illyria, each believes the other to be dead. Viola disguises herself as a man to find employment, but unintentionally catches the eye of Olivia (Alicia Moeller), the beloved of her new employer, Duke Orsino (Tarantino Smith). To make matters worse, Viola has fallen for the Duke. The situation gets no less complicated when Sebastian arrives on the scene and is quickly mistaken for his sister, the disguised Viola, and finds himself married to Olivia. Meanwhile, Sir Toby Belch (Dave Murray) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Dan Peterson) are wreaking havoc among the servants while Olivia's gentlewoman, Maria (Brett Sabo), conspires to make the pompous steward, Malvoli (Michael Kroll), believe Olivia has fallen for him. Disguise and deception, unrequited love and confusion set the scene for this hilarious comedy, which also stars local actors Brian Craig, Caitlyn Manning, Christopher O’Neill, Mark Piltz, Wesley Swan and Casey Woods. Mr. Smith is appearing courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
The Holmdel Theatre Company is very excited to welcome back Tom Frascatore as director. Mr. Frascatore directed several previous productions for the Holmdel Theatre Company including Inherit the Wind, The Imaginary Invalid, and Little Women. “There is no one more challenging or exhilarating for an director to tackle than Shakespeare,” Mr. Frascatore reflects. “His body of work taken as a whole displays a virtuosity in defining and clarifying the many facets of the human condition unmatched by any writer before or since. As a playwright he was a practicing psychologist 400 years before the discipline existed. His characters are well defined with motivation and clears journeys and, most of all, are accessible and still relevant to an audience 450 after his birth.”
Twelfth Night will open on Friday, July 24th and play for eight performances on the following dates and times: Fri, 7/24 at 8pm, Sat, 7/25 at 8pm, Sun, 7/26 at 2pm, Fri, 7/31 at 8pm, Sat, 8/1 at 8pm, Sunday, 8/2 at 2pm, Fri, 8/7 at 8pm and Sat, 8/8 at 8pm. All performances are at the Duncan Smith Theater, 36 Crawfords Corner Rd., Holmdel, New Jersey in front of the Holmdel High School. Ticket prices are $22 general public ($17 for seniors and $12 for students). Reservations may be made via the website at www.holmdeltheatrecompany.org.
ABOUT THE HOLMDEL THEATRE COMPANY
The Holmdel Theatre Company (HTC) is a non-profit, semi-professional, student-focused theatre company dedicated to presenting classical theatrical experiences as well as fresh interpretations of modern dramas and comedies. The Company's unique mission is to integrate young people and non-professionals with professional actors, technicians, designers and directors in a collaborative artistic and educational exchange. HTC's efforts to raise the level of performance through the fellowship of novices and theatre professionals enable all to grow in the field.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE HTC
There are many opportunities for students to become a part of the Holmdel Theatre Company. We offer several workshops and classes helping students explore their specific interests. The HTC casts roles for many of the main stage productions from students at the middle school and high school level. We are also looking for assistant stage managers, running crew, lighting board operators and many other technical positions for students interested in apprenticeships. If you would like to learn more about the opportunities available at the Holmdel Theatre Company, please email us at info@holmdeltheatrecompany.org.
PHOTO: From left to right, Alicia Moeller as Olivia, Olivia Mullen as Viola, and Tarantino Smith as Orsino
