Twelfth night preview: Experience a Shakesperian comedy with URI Theater this March. PHOTO CREDIT: Asolo Repertory Theater
Students are in for an “absolute party” when attending the University of Rhode Island Theatre Department’s production of William Shakespeare’s classic “Twelfth Night,” according to Riley Nedder, the lead actress of the production and a junior theatre and english major.
“Twelfth Night” is often considered to be one of Shakespeare’s funniest plays, complete with a love triangle, clowns and more. The production will run for two weekends from March 3-6 and 10-13.
“Twelfth Night” follows the story of Viola and Sebastian, twins who end up shipwrecked in the kingdom of Illyria. Assuming her brother is dead after the wreck, Viola dresses up as a man and takes the name Cesario while trying to woo the countess of the kingdom, Olivia.
Nedder, who is playing Viola, described her as “witty, smart and quick on her feet.” Nedder said that she loves being able to portray her due to the complexity of the script and the character.
“I’m an actor who thrives off of the text, I love to really pick it apart,” Nedder said. “There’s just so much beautiful material there and I really get to make her my own.”
Tyler Dobrowsky, the play’s director, said that Shakespeare scripts are slightly more difficult to learn from an actor’s perspective due to the old-fashioned language and dense vocabulary.
“It requires a bit more work,” he said. “The poetry and the language that he uses is beautiful, it’s just a bit outdated and hard to understand at times. We have to make sure that the actors actually understand what it is they’re saying so that they can act it out accordingly.”
Nedder said the set for the production is colorful and exciting, which she said brings the play to life. She also emphasized that while the play is a Shakespeare play, it is something entertaining that students should look forward to.
“The costumes and the set are all super bright and fun and the play itself is super funny,” she said. “I know that some people think ‘Oh my god, Shakespeare, that’s so boring’ but Shakespeare is one of those things that is truly timeless. We’re still performing plays that were written 400 years ago.”
In recent years, there have been different modern adaptations of the original “Twelfth Night” plot, including the 2006 movie “She’s the Man” starring Amanda Bynes. Dobrowsky said that he thinks fans of that movie will recognize the plot and enjoy seeing the original script.
Rehearsals for the production began in January, according to Nedder, starting out with table reads over Zoom before the cast was able to meet in person. Now that rehearsals are in person, she said that all cast members are required to wear masks and get tested for COVID-19 weekly for the duration of rehearsals. The final production will be maskless, however.
“God forbid anybody gets sick during rehearsals or the final performances, we have understudies for the main characters that can fill in for the time being,” Nedder said. “But, fingers crossed that won’t have to happen.”
Students can purchase tickets for “Twelfth Night” online on the URI Theatre Department’s website. Ticket sales will open Feb. 21 and will be open throughout the duration of the performances. Prices are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, staff, faculty and senior citizens.