Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare – Directed by Charles Plester

Production Dates: Monday 7^th July to Saturday 12^th July 

Twelfth Night – Shakespeare’s homage to the pursuit of true love is one of his best known and frequently revived plays.

The twins Viola and Sebastian are separated when their ship sinks and we follow Viola’s story of self discovery. She disguises herself as a man and gets a position in the Duke of Orsino’s entourage. He has been trying to court Olivia, a lady of position and wealth, but she is having none of it, claiming she is still in mourning for her father and brother. Orsino thinks the youthful Caesarian (Viola, in manly disguise) may have more success in wooing her for him. How wrong he is! Eventually, Sebastian turns up and confusion reigns supreme as he is mistaken for Cesario. All does end well though and rather than being with the people they think they should be with, the protagonists find a partner they actually love.

The sub plot involves Sir Toby Belch, the uncle of Olivia. Keen for his niece to marry someone who will enable him to continue enjoying his way of life (mainly the indulgence of alcohol) he invites Sir Andrew Ague Cheek to stay in the hope that he will win her affections. Unfortunately, Sir Andrew has a brain the size of a stickleback’s codpiece! All this drunkenness and tomfoolery incenses Olivia’s steward, the priggish Malvolio, who chastises Sir Toby and threatens to have him removed from Olivia’s house. Sir Toby, along with Maria (a no nonsense maid who has long despised Malvolio), Fabia (Olivia’s old nanny who is game for anything) and the inept Sir Andrew devises a plan to discredit Malvolio, thus ensuring hedonistic lifestyle continues.

We are casting all roles for a lively, comedic production. Please see character descriptions below.

Viola (disguised as Cesario) 

  – Ingenious, warm-hearted, and courageous. Hides her true identity to serve Duke Orsino. Torn between loyalty to Orsino and her own growing love for him.

Duke Orsino

  – A romantic nobleman, lost in his own poetic notions of love.  

  – Must display both dramatic flair and genuine tenderness.

Olivia

  – A refined countess mourning her brother, initially rejecting all suitors.  

  – Sharp-witted yet quickly enamoured with Viola’s disguised persona.

Sebastian  

  – Viola’s twin brother, also shipwrecked.  

  – Brave, earnest, and drawn into the play’s comedic confusions upon arrival.

Malvolio

  – Olivia’s sombre and self-important steward.  

  – Must balance comedic hubris with a grounded sense of dignity.

Sir Toby Belch

  – Olivia’s mischievous, boisterous uncle; the life of the party.  

  – Enjoys drink and pranks, particularly at others’ expense.

Sir Andrew Ague-Cheek

  – Friend of Sir Toby, naive and easily manipulated.  

  – Provides physical comedy; a likable fool.

Maria 

  – Olivia’s clever lady-in-waiting, architect of the prank on Malvolio.  

  – Witty and resourceful with a mischievous edge.

Feste (the Fool) 

  – Olivia’s quick-witted jester, astute observer of human folly.  

  – Uses comedic banter and song to reveal deeper truths.

Antonio

   – The devoted sea captain who rescues Sebastian.  

   – Acts with courage and loyalty despite personal risk.

Please collect a script from the QMT box office where the version of Twelfth Night we will be using is available for perusal. If you can’t get one do not worry – it is not drastically different from any available script. One difference is that our version has Act One with 10 Scenes and Act 2 with 8 Scenes – in the ‘proper’ play  it is Act 1 (5 scenes), Act 2 (5scenes) – interval Act 3 (4 scenes), Act 4 (3 scenes) and Act 5 (1 scene).

So if you are reading a ‘proper’ script and looking for audition scenes don’t get yourself confused.

The audition pieces are as follows:

Viola and Olivia – Act 1 Scene 5 – from Olivia “Now, Sir, what is your text?” to Viola – “I am a gentleman.”

Viola and Orsino – Act 1 Scene 9 – from Orsino “Once more Cesario Get thee to yond same sovereign cruelty.” to End of Scene.

Sebastian – Act 2 Scene 7 “This is the air…” Speech

Antonio and Sebastian – Act 2 Scene 3

Fabia, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew- Act 2 Scene 2  – from The Start to Sir Andrew’s exit.

Maria, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew – Act 1 Scene 3 from Sir Toby “And hath all the good gifts…”to End of Scene.

Malvolio and Feste ( with Maria and Sir Toby ) – Act 1 Scene 8 from Malvolio’s entrance to his exit.
Also – Act 2 Scene 6 from Malvolio – “Who calls there?” to Malvolio- “Sir Topas, Sir Topas!

If you are auditioning to be one of The Players you will need to do one of the above just so we can hear your dulcet tones.

Any questions please contact Charles Plester:

Plester.charles@gmail.com

Audition Dates

Rehearsals

Mondays and Wednesdays