Director’s Note

Twelfth Night was the first Shakespearean production that I saw on stage. When we were studying it in preparation for the show my high school teacher described it as a comedy but the show that I watched that day was so much more. Watching that production opened my eyes to a whole new kind of story that lived in the gray area between comedy and tragedy. Since then I have been obsessed with finding that area on stage again. For me Twelfth Night is the perfect example of an early Shakespeare "problem" play, not quite a full comedy but not a tragedy either. While many of the characters find their true love and happy ending there are others that in the end are left alone. This is what makes Twelfth Night the perfect holiday show. This time of year for so many of us is simultaneously filled with joy and melancholy. 

You'll notice in our production that many of the traditional male roles are being played by women. With the casting of these actors we have opened up the voices of these characters to a new generation. The way Shakespeare's stories have survived has been by evolving to suit the times they are performed in. Right now it feels more important than ever to hear a diverse cast of actors exploring this show and performing it for that young person whose worldview might expand into that gray area between comedy and tragedy. 

So as the holiday seasons begins let's all escape into this world of love and crossed wires in this winter paradise that is the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Because in a show where a woman dresses as a man to win over the man she loves while wooing that man's true love anything can happen. Enjoy the show! Or what you will. 

All photos courtesy of Tom McGrath

Click below to see reviews from the show!

1. PerformInk

2. Chicago Reader

3. Chicagoland Musical Theatre

4. Chicago On Stage

5. Chicago Stage Standard

6. Stage and Cinema

7. Edge Media Network

8. Theatre in Chicago (Top 10 Shows in Chicago December 2017)