A Celebration of Twelfth Night

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THE CHORUS OF WESTERLY PRESENTS
A CELEBRATION OF TWELFTH NIGHT 2011

WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND – The holiday season will come to a spirited close this January as the Chorus of Westerly presents its 37th production of A Celebration of Twelfth Night. This year’s production, set for the first time in an Asian setting, will include one of the largest cores of performers in the show’s acclaimed history. Over 350 individuals will perform in the show as singers, actors, acrobats, dancers, jesters and more.  Twelfth Night, directed by Derron Wood of New London’s Flock Theatre and conducted by George Kent, will be Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm, and Sunday, January 9, 2011 at the same times.  A special sneak preview performance (with discounted tickets) is offered on Friday, January 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm.  The Chorus will also host a special Peasants’ Feast at 6 pm on both January 8 and 9. The Peasants’ Feast will feature a traditional Twelfth Night feast dinner along with extra on-stage entertainment.

Tickets for all performances of A Celebration of Twelfth Night and the Peasants’ Feast, ranging from $15-$68, are now on sale.  Tickets are available by calling the Chorus of Westerly Box Office at (401) 596-8663 or by visiting chorusofwesterly.org.  All performances take place in the historic George Kent Performance Hall located at 119 High Street in Westerly, Rhode Island.  Kent Hall is handicap accessible.

The Chorus of Westerly’s production of A Celebration of Twelfth Night has been a Westerly tradition since 1975.  Each year an originally written script, penned now by former Chorus of Westerly treble Harvey Blanchette, is created to serve as the basis of the performance. The play (which might also be best described as a pageant) always includes a traditional struggle between good and evil framed around a European court style Twelfth Night celebration. Add to this mix celebratory entertainment by dancers, acrobats, and court jesters, as well as astounding puppets, beautiful poetry, and a soaring soundtrack provided by the Chorus of Westerly and Boston Festival Brass and you have a typical A Celebration of Twelfth Night production.

Twelfth Night in our age is Epiphany, the last of the twelve festive days of Christmas. It is considered to be, particularly in the western world, “The Feast of Fools” – the day where all that is familiar is reversed.  For example, in the courts of Europe in the Middle Ages, it was the day where a servant could find a bean in his piece of cake and reign for a night as King, or, in churches, choir boys might be able to celebrate mass as priests.  Many different Twelfth Night celebrations, similar to the one presented by the Chorus but with local twists and variations, still take place in the major cultural capitals of the world.  In November 2008, the Boston Globe honored the Chorus of Westerly’s A Celebration of Twelfth Night by naming it one of the world’s very best Twelfth Night celebrations along with those in London and Washington, DC.

Two years ago, playwright Harvey Blanchette created a new framework in which A Celebration of Twelfth Night was to be presented: a massive five year story arc. Blanchette’s arc is set in a mythical world composed of four geographically and culturally separate kingdoms – Mirden (water), Zhora (earth), Kasai (fire), and Mahabala (air).  In the first two years of the arc, set in Mirden and Zhora, audiences were introduced to a mythical world threatened by a dark and powerful menace. But, this world finds hope for light and unity in the coming of a Chosen One born in the first year who will, by the end of the arc, unite all the kingdoms.  

This January, the third chapter of this saga will take place set in the mythical Asian kingdom of Kasai – the fire kingdom. While each show within the five-year arc directly relates to the others, the productions are also designed to be “free standing” performances so that audience members can still see a given year’s performance without having to have seen another.  The traditional Twelfth Night ceremonies, such as the audience King and Queen “Cake” scene, the Abbott’s Bromley Horn Dance, and the Boar’s Head Carol are still included in each show.
 
This will mark the first time in the production’s 37 year history that a Twelfth Night story will be based in an Asian culture and tradition.  The elements of the show will not draw from one particular Asian country, but instead, will embrace the best mythical elements from many Asian cultures including Japan and China.  Because of the production’s setting in a “new” and different culture than in past years (most of which have been set in medieval Europe), all new set pieces and costumes must be created for this year’s show from scratch.  Work on new costumes, under the guidance of Andrew Lidestri, Sally Dwyer, and Stephanie Traversa, is well underway.  90-95% of all costumes, puppets, set pieces, and stage pieces will all be brand new and designed uniquely for this show.

The cast of A Celebration of Twelfth Night 2010 again will feature talented professional and volunteer actors, dancers, and production staff from across the northeast.  The core of the show is 320 volunteer actors and singers (including children and adults, the youngest of which is two years old) from over thirty communities in Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Rehearsals for the performers take place in a very brief period of time. Rehearsals begin on December 26 and run daily through the opening of the show (12 days later).  The volunteer core of actors is joined on stage by four professional actors, Jim Lawson as Father Christmas, Paula Rockwell as Kagu, and Michael Miclon as The Jester.  Talented dancer Wayne Ong, a senior at Connecticut College, returns to the Twelfth Night cast as Iraja.

Jim Lawson, a professional actor from New York City and native of Charlestown, Rhode Island, will return to the production once again as Father Christmas. Lawson, who has an MFA in performance from FSU’s Apolo Conservatory, has been seen on stages throughout Europe and the United States in a variety of theatre and opera roles.  Lawson has been a Twelfth Night regular now for over a decade playing Father Christmas in most of those years.

Paula Rockwell, a professional vocalist from Nova Scotia, is returning to A Celebration of Twelfth Night in the role of Kagu.  Ms. Rockwell has performed with Chorus of Westerly on many occasions, and is on the faculty of the University of Acadia.

Bringing entertainment and laughter to Twelfth Night audiences is jester Michael Miclon.  Miclon returning for his third Twelfth Night, has brought his high energy antics to some of the finest theaters and special events across the United States and Europe.  Recent highlights include performances at the Kennedy Center, the White House, the Keller Theater in Germany, the Victoria Jungfrau Hotel in Switzerland, and the Festa Americana in Italy.

A Celebration of Twelfth Night is stage directed by Derron Wood of New London’s Flock Theatre.  Wood has been directing Twelfth Night performances since 2000.  Robin Rice, of Stonington’s Pine Point School, returns for her eighth year as choreographer.  George Kent directs the production’s music and conducts the Chorus of Westerly and the fifteen members of the Boston Festival Brass.
 
The Chorus of Westerly’s performance of A Celebration of Twelfth Night is presented through major support from Webster Bank and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. The Chorus is also thankful of its media sponsors for the event: Sun Publishing, Classical 95.9 FM WCRI, The New London Day, and WBLQ 1230 AM.

For further information about this performance or for tickets, please call Lee Eastbourne at the Chorus of Westerly Box Office at 401.596.8663 or visit chorusofwesterly.org.

The Chorus of Westerly’s performances take place at the George Kent Performance Hall, 119 High Street, Westerly, Rhode Island. The George Kent Performance Hall is handicapped accessible.