Twelfth Night at Classical Theatre of Harlem

Tony Nominee Kara Young will play Viola in the Classical Theatre of Harlem's free production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night July 5-29 at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. The play will be free to the public and reservations can be made starting today.

Continuing CTHs mission to place diversity at the forefront of their performances, this interpretation of Twelfth Night will engage with the global conversation aroun  equity and inclusion. It features a majority-Black team of artists lead by director Carl Cofield, CTHs Associate Artistic Director.

With its Afrofuturistic aesthetic and diverse team of artists, our production of Twelfth Night will tackle the global conversation around equity, diversity, and in lusion, said Cofield. I look forward to showing audiences what the magical world of Illyria can teach us here and now.

Kara Young, who will be playing Viola in the production, adds, This is for Harlem, this is for my place of birth, this is for the community, especially for the people who are still here.

The Twelfth Night creative team includes:

• Tiffany Rea-Fisher: Choreographer
• Rick Sordelet: Fight Director
• Christian Kelly-Sordelet: Fight Director
• Riw Rakkulchon: Scenic Designer
• Mika Eubanks: Costume Designer
• Alan C. Edwards: Lighting Designer
• Frederick Kennedy: Composer & Sound Designer
• Brittany Bland: Projection Designer
• Samantha Shoffner: Properties Designer
• Earon Nealey: Hair & Makeup Designer
• Jessica Forella:  Production Stage Manager

The Twelfth Night cast is as follows: 

• JLaney Allen:  Sebastian
• William DeMeritt*: Orsino
• Jaylen Eashmond: Sea Captain, First Officer, understudy Sir Toby
• Carson Elrod*: Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Denzel Fields*: Antonio
• Kat Files+: DancerIsrael Erron Ford*: Feste
• Allen Gilmore*: Malvolio
• Dennzyl Green+: DancerAlisa Gregory+: Dancer
• Brynlie Helmich+:  Assistant Choreographer/Swing
• Alexandria King*: Understudy Viola & Olivia
• Maddy LaLonde+: Dancer
• Anthony Lalor*: Ensemble, understudy Valentine, Sea Captain, Fabian, Antonio
• Cassandra Lopez*: Maria
• Collin McConnell: Ensemble, understudy Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Chivas Michael*: Sir Toby
• Othello Pratt, Jr. *: Valentine, Servant, Ensemble, understudy Feste
• Christina Sajous*: Olivia
• Donathan Walters: Fabian, Sailor, Ensemble
• Kara Young*: Viola 

* denotes member of Actors Equity Association          
 + denotes member of Emerge125 

Twelfth Night will mark the 10th year CTH has brought free theater to Marcus Garvey Park, continuing its mission to create a vibrant community hub for theater and the arts in the heart of Harlem.  While BIPOC productions are popular at this moment, The Classical Theatre of Harlem has been at the forefront of changing the face of American theater for  ars, said Ty Jones.  We have been persistent in challenging classical texts to make them more vibrant and relevant for the communities that have been sidelined for much of the histor  of American theater. Twelfth Night will not only continue the conversation but spark new opportunities with and for the communities we serve.

About The Classical Theatre Of Harlem:
The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is an American theater company that tells stories through the lens of  he African diaspora. CTH combines original adaptations, music, and dance to present great classics of world literature and contemporary works that will st nd the test of time. Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented works ranging from traditional classical playwrights (Anton Chekhov, Euripides and William Shakespeare) to established 20th-century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes and Jean Genet) to new plays by  merging playwrights. CTH also proudly provides theater-based training and live theater experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education progr m, Project Classics. The organization incorporates other theater-related programming including Future Classics, Playwrights Playground, and Revisited Classics to engage new audiences, invest in artistic development and give exposure to emerging creators.  

The company serves over 18,000 live audience mem ers (pre-pandemic). Its new online offerings have drawn over 500,000 viewers. To learn more, visit https://www.cthnyc.org/. 

Authors

• Anthony Cochrane
• David Amram
• David Erlanger
• Duncan Sheik
• Ellen Bower
• Galt MacDermot
• Peter Golub
• Robert Richmond
• Rupert Holmes
• Thomas Campion
• William Shakespeare

Tony Awards and Nominations for Twelfth Night