UA Little Rock to Host Adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ March 3
The UA Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts will offer two performances of a touring one-hour educational adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” on Friday, March 3.
The production, funded in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, supports the collaboration between Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre (AST) at the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts.
The performances, which are free and open to the public, will take place at 3:30 p.m. in the Haislip Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts and at 6 p.m. in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts.
Stacy Pendergraft, co-director of UA Little Rock’s School of Literary and Performing Arts and director of the production, is piloting and teaching a new theatre course called Theatre on the Road. The class will utilize AST’s latest commedia dell’arte inspired, musical adaptation of “Twelfth Night” adapted and scored by AST Managing Director Chad Bradford.
“This collaboration will allow us to explore a script that was originally crafted especially for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre tour in 2016 and create a virtual series that goes behind the scenes into the rehearsal process,” Bradford said. “Teachers and students will get insight into rehearsals, acting techniques, and how to stage a show.”
Following the public UA Little Rock performances, the show will tour to various schools in central Arkansas, the Central Arkansas Library System, as well as Our House, a Little Rock-based shelter.
“We stand firmly with our partners at AST in the belief that crafting arts education experiences that we can take to schools is good for our college students and good for the young people of Arkansas,” Pendergraft said. “Training our majors in the practice, power, and the great fun of educational touring gives them a unique and immediately applicable skill set. The fact that our course explores Shakespeare and will further develop partnership with our colleagues at AST and UCA is a win-win.”
“Twelfth Night” is a romantic comedy that focuses on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola, while disguised as Cesario, falls in love with the Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man.
The performers include UA Little Rock students Jerry Henderson III as Feste/Sea Captain/Officer; Reign Venture as Viola; Makayla Allman as Maria; Lance Beckman as Orsino; Lexi Brooks as Olivia; Quinten Williams as Sir Andrew/Curio; Darion Simpson as Sir Toby; James Peters as Malvolio; Myles Mitchell as Priest/Antonia; and Maxwell Davis as Sebastian. Lauren Black and Grey Dunaway served as assistant stage managers.
For more information, please contact Geneva Galloway at 501-916-3291 or gegalloway@ualr.edu.
