Globe/USD Shiley M.F.A. Program Present TWELFTH NIGHT

The Old Globe today announced its latest cast and creative team as the illustrious actors in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program expertly perform William Shakespeare's magical comedy Twelfth Night, directed by Jesse Perez, the program's Director of Professional Training and a noted actor (Off Broadway's Party People, the Globe's Romeo and Juliet, La Jolla Playhouse's Seize the King).

The classical actors of tomorrow will bring to life a world filled with some of the Bard's most unforgettable characters and memorable moments. Twelfth Night will run November 2-10, 2019 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Opening night is Saturday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to Twelfth Night are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office.

"If music be the food of love, play on!"
Shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, the clever and courageous Viola disguises herself as a man for protection in this strange land, and soon finds a job working for Duke Orsino. Orsino loves the noble Olivia, Viola falls for Orsino, and Olivia becomes infatuated with Orsino's messenger boy... who's actually Viola in disguise! In Shakespeare's world where identity is topsy-turvy, true love sees through all disguises.

"Twelfth Night is as close as it's possible to get to a perfect play," said Old Globe Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "It's got everything: a fun and surprising story, great and rich characters, gorgeous language, a bunch of songs, lots of love and romance, and even a dollop of heartbreak. In the capable hands of the brilliant Jesse Perez, the new head of the Globe/USD Shiley M.F.A. training program, it's sure to surprise and delight. And the wonderful cast of actors-in-training under his direction and tutelage will inspire audiences with a memorable evening of Shakespeare. I'm so looking forward to it!"

The cast features Summer Broyhill (Fool, Feste), Ramon Burris (Sebastian), Mason Conrad (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Christopher Cruz (Sir Toby Belch), Lily Davis (Servant, Lady in Olivia's Court, Officer), Aubrey Deeker Hernandez (Captain, Officer), Bibi Mama (Viola), Hallie Peterson (Olivia), Christopher M. Ramirez (Valentine, Priest), Jocelyn Renee (Fabian), Klarissa Marie Robles (Maria), Claire Simba (Orsino), Marco Antonio Vega (Malvolio), and Jonathan Aaron Wilson (Antonio, Curio). Further supporting characters will be played by the ensemble.

The creative team includes Robin Sanford Roberts (Scenic Design), Elisa Benzoni (Costume Design), Jason Bieber (Lighting Design), Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design), Jan Gist (Vocal Coach), Brian Byrnes (Fight Director), Abraham Stoll (Dramaturg), and Nicole Ries (Production Stage Manager).

Jesse Perez (Director) is the Director of Professional Training for The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. He is an actor, director, and choreographer out of New York City. He has directed and taught at The Juilliard School for the last 12 years. He has experimented with the likes of Adrienne Kennedy, Thornton Wilder, George Saunders, Samuel Beckett, and Jean-Claude van Itallie, plus full productions of As Five Years Pass by Federico García Lorca, Queens Boulevard by Charles L. Mee, and The Other Shore by Gao Xingjian. He also directed Sorry, a dance-theatre piece performed by Shook Ones and written by Alejandro Rodriguez at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. Mr. Perez is happy to be working at The Old Globe.

TICKETS to Twelfth Night are $19.00 for the general public; $16.00 for Old Globe subscribers, students, seniors, active military, and USD faculty and staff; $12.00 for groups of 10 or more; and $8.00 for USD students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances at the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre begin on November 2 and continue through November 10. Performance times: Saturday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday, November 7 at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, November 8 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, November 10 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

A joint venture of the Globe and USD, the Shiley Graduate Theatre Program nationally recruits seven students each year to participate in an intensive two-year course of graduate study in classical theatre. In 1987, The Old Globe and the University of San Diego established a graduate acting program. The result has been one of the most acclaimed classical training programs in the United States. It is also one of the most competitive graduate acting programs in the country, earning top honors from both The Hollywood Reporter and Backstage as among the best in the world for 2018. For additional information, visit www.globemfa.org.

The program's graduates have made their mark in the profession. They have performed extensively on and Off Broadway, in regional theatres, in feature films, and on television. They have also founded successful theatre companies, written award-winning plays and screenplays, and performed throughout Europe and Canada. Notable graduates include Jim Parsons, the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning star of "The Big Bang Theory," seen in The Boys in the Band on Broadway, where his alumni colleagues include Brian Hutchison (The Boys in the Band), Henny Russell (Oslo, "Orange Is the New Black"), Shirine Babb (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Bedlam's The Crucible), and Amy Blackman (Angels in America, Ken Ludwig's Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood at Cleveland Play House, Skylight at Gulfshore Playhouse). Off Broadway appearances include Heather Raffo (playwright and star of Noura, now being produced across the country), Robbie Simpson (Afterglow, Deathtrap at Cape Playhouse), Nora Carroll (Measure for Measure with The Public Theater's Mobile Unit), Amara James Aja (The White Devil, Peter and the Starcatcher), Lucas Caleb Rooney (2016 Obie Award for Red Speedo), Daniel Petzold (Switzerland), Jonathan Spivey (Smart Blonde, Indecent at Denver Center, The-All-Night-Strut at Milwaukee Rep), and Adam Daveline (The Play That Goes Wrong). Regional theatres saw Grayson DeJesus (starring in The Glass Menagerie at Guthrie), Jake Millgard (multiple roles at The Old Globe), Stephen Hu (The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep), Nathan Whitmer (The Heiress at Arena Stage), Tyler Kent (When Blood Ran Red, New York readings of The Consul, the Tramp, and America's Sweetheart, Shakespeare and the Zombie Plague of 1590), Christopher Salazar and Mauricio Mendoza (The Floating Island Plays), Ally Carey (A Doll's House, Part 2 in Maine), Erin Roché (The Revolutionists at Playhouse on Park), and Makha Mthembu (her solo graduate thesis, No Child Left Behind, was a Producers Award winner, Hollywood Fringe Fest). On television, Matthew Bellows has a prominent recurring role on "New Amsterdam."

Private funding for the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre program has been contributed through a generous endowment established by Donald and Darlene Shiley. Additional support for the program is provided by the Dorothy Brown Endowment Fund and the Louis Yager Cantwell Foundation. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Through a special arrangement with the San Diego Zoo, Old Globe evening ticket-holders have the opportunity to pre-purchase valet parking in the Zoo's employee parking structure. With a drop-off point just a short walk to the Globe, theatregoers may purchase fast, easy, convenient valet parking for just $14 per vehicle per evening. Pre-paid only, available only by phone through The Old Globe Box Office. Call (619) 234-5623 or visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/valet-parking. The Balboa Park valet is also available during weekend performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.