Jobsite to Present TWELFTH NIGHT in 2015

Jobsite kicks off the new year with one of the Bard's best-loved comedies, a hilarious tale of mistaken identities, lovesickness and ribald revelry. William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night plays Jan. 8 - Feb. 1, 2015, in the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center where Jobsite is resident theater company.

A laugh-out-loud funny tale of gender confusion in which after being shipwrecked in a storm and losing her brother, a girl disguises herself as a man to be near the count she adores only to be pursued by the woman he loves. Meanwhile, one household cranks up the mischief-making by tricking the stuffy steward into believing his mistress has fallen for him. This treasured comedy brims with wild infatuations, swooning serenades, drunken high-jinks, and beloved characters.

Twelfth Night features an exquisite cast of some of the best performers in the region: Ned Averill-Snell (Sir Toby Belch,) Giles Davies (Malvolio), Jason Vaughan Evans (Fabian), Roxanne Fay (Feste), Edward Gomez (Valentine), Chris Holcom (Orsino), Nick Hoop (Sebastian), Jamie Jones (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Michael C. McGreevy (Antonio), Spencer Meyers (Curio), Maggie Mularz (Viola), Ami Sallee (Maria), and Katrina Stevenson (Olivia). Producing Artistic Director David M. Jenkins directs with a set from Brian Smallheer, costumes from Bailee Booser, lights from Kaylin Gess and sound from Jenkins. Original music for Shakespeare's songs is composed by Jana Jones (most recently the music director/bassist for Return to the Forbidden Planet).

This production is set against the backdrop of Ybor City in 1926. This choice makes a lot of sense for director Jenkins. "I think the late-night carousing, excessive wealth and stunning beauty all occurring under the scrutiny of a puritanical figure works so well here for a number of reasons. 1926 was not only during Prohibition but also the Depression, which Ybor largely avoided as it was booming in that time. Ybor, like Shakespeare's imaginary locale Illyria, was (and still is, really) a world unto itself. Also, this play begins with Viola being shipwrecked in an unknown land. In Sep. of 1926 Florida was pounded by one of the most devastating hurricanes in the state's history. This choice will flavor the look of the set and costumes most obviously, but it's also allowing us to construct some really interesting back stories meshing Shakespeare's words against this rich historical period."

Jobsite is using a newly edited version of the text commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007 developed by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen from the first folio. This edition of the text has been referred to as remarkable and superb by Shakespeare scholars and theater professionals and Jobsite is presenting this version of the text as-is. "We just want to be clear that we're not adapting this play into modern or updated language in any way or abridging it for a zippier runtime. We've done Shakespeare in a variety of ways over the years and we just want to be direct with what we are doing," adds Jenkins.

Twelfth Night opens to the general public on Jan. 10 and runs through Feb. 1, 2015. All tickets to public performances are $28. Rush tickets for students, seniors, military and Theatre Tampa Bay members are $14 and are available as of 30 minutes prior to curtain with cash and valid ID at the Straz Ticket Office window. Rush tickets are subject to availability. Special preview performances will be held on Jan. 8-9 at 8p with all tickets available in advance for $14. Jobsite also has 2014-15 season tickets on sale now at a substantially reduced price than that of individual tickets, which gets patrons into the remaining four mainstage shows in the season as well as all side projects at no extra charge.