Some are born great and some have greatness thrust upon them. Honiton’s premier amateur theatre company have launched their latest theatrical adventure in the form of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary. They’ll be producing one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies with a talented cast who will sing, dance and act their way through this comedic romp. The production will take place on tour in surrounding villages and culminate in two shows at The Beehive in Honiton.
The production will be a faithful yet modern take on the comedy where the island Illyria becomes a luxurious hotel inhabited by the affluent Olivia and her various suitors. There’s also plenty of visual and textual comedy as the gaudy antics of Andrew, Toby and Maria unfold and there’s sure to be some bright yellow clothing too.
In the production, the story follows Viola, a character who arrives on a foreign island and is enthralled in a love story which involves some of Shakespeare’s funniest writing. Cross-dressing, disguises and shocking surprises all feature in the plot, though the script for this production will be cut down to make it more accessible and will also feature live pop and rock music to add a sparkle of sound to the show.
‘Twelfth Night’ is one of the easiest of Shakespeare’s plays to understand if you’ve never acted or read Shakespeare’s plays before. This is a real focus of the production as explains Director Alex Jackson:
“Some might think that Shakespeare is difficult to understand and old-fashioned, but not in this production. We’re bringing the play bang up to date with a modern setting of a paradise holiday island and a cut-down, easy-to-understand script which we’ll work on together to celebrate a bit of Shakespeare in style”.
Barbara Simmonds, who is HCTC’s Chairperson explains the reasons behind choosing Twelfth Night as their spring production:
“This year celebrates 400 years since Shakespeare died so we thought we’d challenge ourselves and perform one of Shakespeare’s well known comedies.With much confusion and an ill-fated love story, the brilliant writing unwinds the tale to a very satisfactory conclusion. Why not join us in the challenge and confusion and make some good friends along the way! We’re always looking out for help with costumes and backstage roles”
Show Dates
Performances at The Beehive 21st & 22nd May 2016. Tickets here
For more information you can follow HCTC on social media or visit their website honitontheatre.co.uk.
