By Andrea Fernandes
Associate Editor
The characters of “Twelfth Night” were swept onto the Garret Theater’s stage this past Wednesday and Thursday night and will be back Friday and Saturday.
There was a full house for the opening night of the Shakespearean play performed by students. As the audience entered the Garret Theater to find their assigned seats, some learned that they would be seated on stage. This was initially strange, but the on-stage seating allowed for the audience to be more engaged in the play, some said.
“It was nice being seated on stage,” said Azarias Perez, a senior English major. “I’ve never seen that done so at first it was weird, but in a way it made me feel like I was part of the show.”
Ed. Simone, director of Bonaventure’s theater program, said the cast dedicated countless amounts of hours to produce a good show.
“We began rehearsal on Sept. 7, and we have been rehearsing four to five times each week,” said Simone. “Actors have put in over 100 hours, which does not including the hours spent outside rehearsals.”
Simone added that the sets and costumes were all designed on campus, which also required time.
Dakota Ward, a junior journalism and mass communication major, who played the role of Sir Toby Belch, said the feeling of completing a Shakespeare play was great.
“It was a lot of work preparing for Shakespeare,” said Ward. “This is the first time I really had to memorize Shakespeare lines. It was tough, but a lot of fun.”
Simone agreed that one of the biggest challenges came when the actors had to memorize the lines. “Twelfth Night” was written in 1602 so the language is different from what people today are used to. The students first did table work, where they sat around a large table with the entire cast, and each student got a better understanding of his or her character, Simone said.
“Our biggest challenge as a group was definitely the lines,” said Taquan Brown, a sophomore theater major. “Reading Shakespeare isn’t easy. This is by far the most challenging play I’ve ever done.”
Brown played the role of Orsino. He added that he had played a similar role in another play, so although learning the lines was a challenge, it wasn’t difficult to get into character.
The play was all around entertaining, and it was evident that the students dedicated a lot of time to put on a good show. Some viewers agreed that
“Twelfth Night” would be enjoyed more by individuals who have some prior knowledge about the play.
“I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare and a huge fan of ‘Twelfth Night,’” said Perez. “I thought the play was a really good adaptation. It was funny and they did a really good job. I genuinely enjoyed the show.”
For those who still haven’t seen the play, there’s time to catch it before its final curtain call. The Shakespearean magic begins at 7:30 p.m. Free rush tickets are available to students an hour before the show. Tickets are also available to the public for $8 and to staff for $6.
fernanal13@bonaventure.edu
