Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us May 14, 2005 The stage is set at Southern Oregon University for the theater department’s production of “Twelfth Night” — a lighthearted dinner theater take on Shakepeare’s comedy. Below: Actors in rehearsal for the production have fun with their performance. The show runs through May 28. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings ‘Twelfth Night’ Dinner and a comedy at SOU By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings The words are the same — well, aside from missing Act IV, Scene 2 — but the Southern Oregon University theater production of “Twelfth Night” is not classical Shakespeare. Director Scott Kaiser and a 16-member cast took the script and transformed it into a fast-paced, light-hearted musical rendition of the well-known comedy and decided to present it as dinner theater. In the collaborative effort, Kaiser started with the script and made some changes inspired by the work of early surrealist painter De Chirico, then presented it to his cast. The students involved were encouraged to suggest changes — any changes — they believed could play out well in the show. The thoughts came from everywhere, including a dream Kaiser had one night, according to the cast. “It’s dinner theater and it’s a different vein than a lot of other productions,” said senior Garrett Liggett, who plays Feste in the show. “It’s something new and something very alive. I think this is one of those productions that falls into what theater is going toward.” The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will open its own production of “Twelfth Night” in the Elizabethan stage on June 17. Cast members in the SOU show think community members should also experience the OSF version because the two shows will differ dramatically. “Whereas they’ve set a period, a date, we’ve kind of gathered throughout the 20th century,” said junior Daria Lisandrelli, who plays Viola in SOU’s version. The university’s play will include actors dressed in contemporary costumes and period hats from the 20th century and live music played from 20th century pieces to engage the audience. Instead of the dark Act IV, Scene 2 that was sliced from the script, the audience will see dueling banjos and a goofy chase scene reminiscent of a silent movie. “This is dinner theater and dinner theater is a different animal,” Kaiser said. “By the time the play starts, the audience will have already been sitting for an hour. ... They don’t want to sit through a three-hour examination of every word of the text. The dinner theater environment gives us permission to experiment, have fun and try things that might not fly in a traditional environment.” The changes don’t stop with the interpretation of the script. The tiered set was built backwards into the normal auditorium seating area in a theater redesign that allows small tables to be set for dinner. “I think that’s one of the reasons Scott made it very out there,” Liggett said. “We want to surprise people with things they would not expect to see in Shakespeare.” The limited space means diners closest to the stage sit almost close enough to offer actors a drink of water during the production and the actors think the change will help draw the audience into the show. The experience will be new for the audience and several cast members. The majority of the cast has not been in a dinner-theater production and some have never even watched one. “We’re so much closer,” Lisandrelli said, “you can target a woman in the audience who’s right there.” Even with all of the obscurities and alterations that create the comic production, the actors try to bring the show back to relationships, love and humanity. “I think as goofy and entertaining as the show is, there’s still that core of real emotions,” Lisandrelli said. “Our play is about people who yearn for a love they can’t have.” The show runs Saturday and Sunday, then May 19 to 22 and May 26 to 28. Dinner begins at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $29, $27 for seniors and $22 for students. A limited number of performance-only tickets are available at a reduced price. For ticket information, call 552-6348. Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams