Twelfth Night at Oddfellows Playhouse

Have you ever been at a party that has just gone way too long? Twelfth Night, is that party. On the twelfth day of partying, the world of Illyria has flipped upside down. Servant dress as their masters, the masters dress like their servants, and women dress like men. For one last glorious night, there are no rules or authority – except the rule of fun! Into this chaotic merriment, stumbles Viola, who was shipwrecked upon the shores of Illyria and separated from her brother Sebastian. Viola and Sebastian, unaware that the other has survived, stumble into an upside down world of gender reversal, drunken merriment, and romance. Romantic confidence and confusion provides the entertainment.

Most of the play centers on the comic subplot involving the merry revelers creating their own fun, playing a joke on the tightly wound, Malvolio, making him believe that the lady of the house, Olivia, is in love with him. Of course, after 12 days of partying, the prank goes on until it is funny only to the prankster (and the audience). Director Jeffery Allen sets the play in the 1970s, a magical world where parties never end.

Oddfellows Playhouse Summer Shakespeare Academy presents Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, on July 22-24. These performances are the culmination of an intensive 4-week Shakespeare-in-Performance program for high school students, led by professional theater artists Jeffery Allen, Robert Resnikoff and Laura Hawksley Delventhal.

Oddfellows' Summer Shakespeare Academy is supported by grants from the CT State Department of Education, CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, Pratt & Whitney-Middletown & The Stare Fund.

All performances will be at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street, Middletown on July 22, 23 and 24 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Group rates available. For reservations or more information, call Oddfellows Playhouse at (860) 347-6143.