Cal Shakes Opens 41st Season with TWELFTH NIGHT Tonight

California Shakespeare Theater opens its 2015 season with Shakespeare's comic masterpiece, Twelfth Night, directed by Christopher Liam Moore. Twelfth Night plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from tonight, May 27 through June 21.

Christopher Liam Moore returns to Cal Shakes after his wildly popular production of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan (2013). For his second production at Cal Shakes, Moore has assembled a cast of seven women and one man to play all the roles in Shakespeare's masterful comedy of the beauty and madness of love.

"I'm thrilled that this cast is filled with some of the Bay Area's most extraordinary female actors -- Julie, Stacy, Catherine, Lisa, Margo, Domenique, and Rami," says Moore. "I'm also delighted to have Ted Deasy in his Cal Shakes debut as Feste; as the only male actor in the cast, he'll serve as a kind of stage manager to the proceedings and help to reinforce the idea that life is fleeting and love is to be embraced when it comes your way."

"I've always loved Chris' work on the classics -- he brings such humanity and elegance to the work and reveals new meanings that make these plays from the past seem so fresh and relevant," says Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone. "I was inspired to bring to Chris the idea of populating most of the company with female actors after producing Michelle Hensley's community tour production of Twelfth Night last year. Although this production bears no thematic connection to Michelle's interpretation, it gave me the inspiration to turn the historical traditional of all-male Shakespeare casts almost entirely on its head by providing women the opportunity to play both men and women on the magical island of Illyria, searching for, running from, be driven mad by, and finding true happiness through, love."

The company of Twelfth Night includes seven of the Bay Area's finest actresses: Julie Eccles, whose Cal Shakes credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Candida, and Pygmalion, as the perpetually mourning Olivia; Stacy Ross, most recently seen at Cal Shakes in Lady Windermere's Fan and Titus Andronicus, as the puritanical, power-hungry Malvolio; Margo Hall, last seen as Lena in A Raisin in the Sun and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, as the foppish Sir Andrew Aguecheek; Catherine Castellanos, as the reprobate Sir Toby Belch; Domenique Lozano, as plot instigator extraordinaire, Maria; Rami Margron as the love-sick Duke Orsino; Lisa Anne Porter, whose work has been seen at A.C.T., Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Marin Theatre Company, and Magic Theatre, as the twins Viola/Sebastian; and Ted Deasy, making his Cal Shakes debut as Olivia's fool, Feste ( among other roles); Mr. Deasy appeared in the national tour of The 39 Steps, and his work has been seen at many regional theaters around the US, including six seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Rep Theatre of St. Louis, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and in the world-premiere production of Jonathan Moscone and Tony Taccone's Ghost Light.

The creative team for Twelfth Night includes set designer Nina Ball, whose designs have been seen throughout the Bay Area, including last season's The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night's Dream; costume designer Meg Neville, who designed Cal Shakes' Lady Windermere's Fan, Mrs. Warren's Profession, John Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven, Happy Days, and An Ideal Husband; lighting designer Burke Brown; whose work for theaters, dance and opera companies has been seen around the country and internationally, including The Joseph Papp Public Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, Asolo Rep, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Abbey Theatre (Dublin), Alvin Ailey, and Yale Baroque Opera Company; and sound designer Andre J. Pluess, who designed Cal Shakes' The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and has provided numerous soundscapes at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, and Berkeley Rep, among others.

Christopher Liam Moore (Director) is thrilled to be returning to Cal Shakes after making his debut with Lady Windermere's Fan (2013). As director, his most recent work includes Long Day's Journey into Night in the current season at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Blithe Spirit at Artist's Rep in Portland and Boeing, Boeing at Utah Shakespeare Festival. In the past six seasons at OSF, he has directed A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Very Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa; August: Osage County; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; and Dead Man's Cell Phone. As an actor, he recently played Walter Jenkins in last year's Tony award-winning play All The Way on Broadway. He has worked at theaters across the country, including Berkeley Rep, American Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Yale Repertory, Long Wharf, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Old Globe, and the Guthrie. His film and television work includes as a series regular on Ten Items or Less on TBS and Murder in Small Town X on Fox. He has also appeared on Friends, Judging Amy, Third Rock from the Sun, and Star Trek: Voyager. He is a proud founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company and worked with the company for 20 years.

Single tickets for Twelfth Night range from $20 to $72, with discounts available for seniors, students, military families, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Prices, dates, titles, and artists are subject to change. For information or to charge tickets by phone with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666. Additional information and online ticketing are available at www.calshakes.org.

TWELFTH NIGHT Special Events:

Inside Scoop, Monday, May 11, 6:30-8pm, Orinda Library
Audiences are invited to a sneak peek at the upcoming production halfway through the rehearsal process with the director and members of the cast, moderated by Cal Shakes Resident Dramaturg Philippa Kelly. Complimentary sweet treats and Peet's coffee is served.

Opening Night Post-Show Party, May 30, following the performance
Experience the excitement of the opening night performance and then mingle with the cast and creative team at a complimentary post-show party.

Tuesday Tastings, Tuesdays, June 2, 9, and 16, beginning at 6pm
Taste the best of the Bay Area's wine, beer, coffee, sweets, and savories for free on Tuesdays before the performance.

Teen Night, Tuesday, June 2; 6pm event, 7:30pm performance
A special event just for teens ages 13-18. Come hang out in the Upper Grove; we'll provide the pizza and soda, a special backstage tour, and a pre-show engagement with one of our teaching artists before the show. Call 510.809.3290 for tickets and more info.

Open-captioned performance, Wednesday, June 3, 7:30pm
Special seating and opening-captioning for hearing-impaired patrons, who can read the text and dialogue on a digital screen. Purchase tickets for section A online at calshakes.org, or call the Box Office at 510.548.9666. For groups of 10 or more, email groups@calshakes.org or call 510.809.3290.

Meet the Artists, Sundays, May 31 and June 14, following the 4pm performance
Audience members enjoy an opportunity to engage in a lively discussion about the production with cast members following select 4pm matinee performances. Free and open to all.

InSight Matinee, Sunday, June 7, following the 4pm matinee
Explore the world of the play through an informal dialogue with the production's dramaturg following select 4pm performances. Free and open to all.

Triangle Lab's "Celebrate the Artist in Everyone" event; June 11, following the performance
Cal Shakes' Triangle Lab teams up with The Body is Not an Apology to invite audience members to participate in a radical self-love fashion show and dance party, on stage following the performance. Free and open to all.

Bring Your Child to their First Shakespeare Performance, June 20, 12:30pm event; 2pm performance
Families are invited to bring children who have never before attended a Shakespeare performance to our 2pm matinee on June 20th. Special discounted kids' tickets ($20) available with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket. Pre-show activities include a visit with a teaching artist and a commemorative token. Recommended for children 8 and up.

Grove Talks, 45 minutes before each performance
Led by resident Grove Talks speakers, these free, informal 20-minute talks are held on site 45 minutes before each and every performance in the ADA-accessible Grove Talk grove, offering invaluable insight into the play and the production.

Cal Shakes celebrates its 41th anniversary inspired by an expansive vision of the role theater can and should play in society, as expressed in our mission statement: With Shakespeare's depth of humanity as our touchstone, we build character and community through authentic, inclusive, and joyful theater experiences.

Founded in 1974 and under the leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone since 2000, our Main Stage productions have earned a reputation for their bold artistic vision and vivid story-telling. We give artists full range to bring their own life experience to the stories we tell on our stage -- to take risks while remaining authentic to the story being told. Our season runs from May to October, attracting 43,000 Bay Area theater-goers to our outdoor, solar-powered, Bruns Memorial Amphitheater -- described by the Wall Street Journal as, "One of the most beautiful outdoor performance spaces in America." Through the Triangle Lab, we aim to integrate art more deeply into community life-to make theater matter more to more people. Our Artistic Learning programs reach 5,000 students annually, engaging students in classrooms and at our Theater in on-your-feet activities that bring a text to life, while also practicing skills that are crucial in today's economy. For more information on the entirety of Cal Shakes work on stage, in schools, and with communities, go to www.calshakes.org.