Be Not Afraid of Greatness: See TWELFTH NIGHT at PAC!

A young woman washes ashore in a strange land after surviving a shipwreck that separated her from her twin brother, whom she believes dead. She takes a position as a page serving the handsome Duke Orsino. The catch? She must disguise herself as a boy to get the job. Thus, our heroine Viola spends her days as “Cesario,” and soon finds herself in a bind when she falls in love with the Duke, while at the same time inadvertently causing the Duke’s love interest Lady Olivia to fall in love with her. Just when it seems things could not get any more complicated, Viola’s brother Sebastian arrives!

Photo: Owen Carey, Design: Tim Stapleton

It all makes for a very comical, adventurous and romantic tale of mistaken identity - a gender-bending celebration of love and life! It is Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the second show in Portland Actors Conservatory’s 2011/12 Season, playing Feb. 17 through Mar. 4, with previews on Feb. 15 & 16.

“It’s such a fun, accessible, passion filled story with such wonderfully written characters,” says director and PAC faculty member Michael Fisher-Welsh. “It’s got a shipwreck, twins, mistaken identity, more music than any other of Shakespeare’s plays, 4 sword fights, yellow stockings and a dungeon. When Beth Harper asked which Shakespeare play I’d like to direct for the 2nd year students, Twelfth Night immediately came to my mind.”

Taking the stage as a guest artist, PAC Executive Director and Third Rail Repertory company member Philip Cuomo plays the straitlaced Malvolio, head steward to Olivia. Much of the comic relief in the play comes at Malvolio’s expense, including an incident involving “yellow stockings…ever cross-gartered.”

“The play is often referred to as Shakespeare’s ‘gateway to the tragedies,’ explains Fisher-Welsh, who was most recently seen on stage with the title role in King John at the Northwest Classical Theatre Company, “not only because afterwards is when he started writing his greatest tragedies, but also, I believe, because there is a dark side to many of the characters in Twelfth Night and it’s been interesting exploring those aspects of the play.”

PAC’s second-year students round out the cast, and the resident creative team includes Tim Stapleton (scenic design); Jeff Forbes (lighting); Jessica Bobillot (costumes); and Chris Mikolavich (sound).

You won't want to miss PAC's latest production! As it says in the play,"be not afraid of greatness!" Tickets are available NOW!