By Emily Pawlowski | Echo
This weekend Marion Civic Theatre, Inc. finishes its run of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."
"Twelfth Night," also called "What You Will," is one of Shakespeare's later plays. This comedy follows twins Viola and Sebastian after they were separated in a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man and is enlisted by Duke Orsino to woo his beloved. A love triangle, prank playing and chaos ensue.
"If you don't know Shakespeare, or don't like Shakespeare, this is one that has the possibility of changing minds," Duana Burby, co-director said.
Burby is the artistic director of Hoosier Shakes, an Indiana group dedicated to making Shakespeare more accessible to the public. She and her co-director Andrew Daniels have performed in multiple Shakespeare productions, including Shakes' own version of "Twelfth Night."
Burby and Daniels were asked to direct this performance due to their experience with Shakespeare.
"We've really been growing; we've been trying to push ourselves to do newer things," said Daniels. "Obviously not newer in the timeline, but pushing ourselves to do some more complicated theater, more theater that we think brings some culture and something that the community will like."
The cast has spent the past six weeks preparing for this production. Participation is open to everyone in the community, so this cast is a mix of local residents and college students.
According to Daniels, the language of the play was difficult to work with at first, but the actors have done an excellent job overcoming it. Translating the characters into modern terms has also been a challenge for actors.
Everyone involved in Marion Civic is proud of the work they have done and excited to share it with the public.
"Civic does a lot that's just so far beyond the reputation I think it has to the community," said Lane Vermilion, who plays Antonio and Curio. "We're really going above and beyond with a lot of stuff, especially now, and I wish there was the turnout to see that."The theater performs at 7:30 p.m. on October 12 and 13, and at 2 p.m. October 14. Additional information on the show can be found at www.marioncivic.org.
