Kane Repertory Theatre to Present Outdoor Shakespeare Production Of TWELFTH NIGHT in July

Kane Repertory Theatre, in partnership with the St. Charles Park District, will present a live outdoor production of the Shakespeare classic Twelfth Night at the Historic Pavilion on the Fox River. The play is directed by Northwestern MFA Directing candidate Katie Lupica. It premieres July 28th at 7 p.m. and runs through August with its last show at 7 pm on August 12th.

Twelfth Night is a fast-paced romantic comedy with several interwoven plots of romance, mistaken identities and practical jokes. Separated from her twin brother Sebastian in a shipwreck, Viola disguises herself as a boy, calls herself Cesario, and becomes a servant to the Duke Orsino.

"Twelfth Night, though not set in a particular season, takes its title from the twelfth day of Christmas, the day when the partying has gone on and a festival season is coming to a close. Our Illyria, staged outside in July, is a summer beach party that doesn't know how to end. It's a good time, but its residents are stuck in habits of excess of one thing or another--unrequited love, drink, self-importance, even mourning. That is, until an unexpected visitor washes ashore. Viola, shipwrecked and out of place in this carnival world, brings a breath of fresh air that stirs up discovery, mischief, and eventually true love, catching the most self-serious the most off-guard. With such themes of renewal and invitations to take the blows of life a little more lightly, it is not surprising that Twelfth Night has historically been chosen to reopen theaters after times closure. For our audiences, I hope it will be like a summer breeze after the relative airlessness of the last two years. I am excited for people to come together in St. Charles to follow a delightfully tangled story of relatable, surprising, and often hilarious characters getting the kind of shake-up we could all use--to be refreshed, amused, intrigued, and renewed" says director Katie Lupica.

Katie Lupica is a Chicago-based director originally from Phoenix, AZ. Previous directing includes new plays, classics, and rediscovered canon in Chicago, New York City, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Rochester, and Ithaca. Some highlights: Men on Boats (Northwestern U.), Oh Oh You Will Be Sorry (world premiere, Hangar Theatre), Chemistry (Producer's Pick, Cincy Fringe), Pains of Youth (Access Theatre, NYC), Good Kids (SUNY Brockport in assoc. with Geva Theatre Center), Elektra (Dobama Theatre). She has developed plays by Nick Gandiello, Jacob Marx Rice, Claire Kiechel, and Adrienne Kennedy. Assisting includes Broadway (Godspell, SDCF Observer), Off-Broadway (MCC Theater, The Pearl), and Regional credits (Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Geva Theatre Center, Artpark Buffalo, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Williamstown Theatre Festival). Katie is a Drama League Directing Fellow, a Sir John Gielgud Fellow, and an Associate Member of SDC. She is an MFA candidate in Directing at Northwestern and earned her BA in theatre and history from Columbia University. Upcoming: Everybody by Branden Jacob-Jenkins at Northwestern, May 2023. More at katielupica.com.

The cast of "Twelfth Night" includes Makenzie Weatherford (Viola), Peter Buckley (Sir Toby), Shannon Coltrane (Olivia), Brian Koester (Malvolio), Joel Ottenheimer (Orsino), Justin Cahill (Sebastian), Sophia Arnold (Maria), Dane Brandon (Feste), Ben Milliken (Antonio), Avery Bowne (Fabian), and Daniil Krimer (Sir Andrew) with Bridget Kearbey as the Stage Manager. Tickets:

Kane Repertory Theatre, in partnership with the St. Charles Park District, presents a live outdoor production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare directed by Katie Lupica. Performances are 7/28, 7/29, 7/30, 8/6, 8/11, and 8/12 at 7 pm & 7/31 and 8/7 at 2 pm. Tickets: $30 Adults, $25 Seniors, and $15 Students. This play is recommended for all ages.

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