Twelfth Night, Or What You Will
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Matthew Arbour

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​​​Illinois Theatre
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts - Colwell Playhouse
March 1st, 2018 - March 11th, 2018
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Scenic Design: Emma St. John
Costume Design: Edith Moreno
Lighting Designer: Naomie S. Winch
Sound Design: Brandon Reed
Music Director and Composer: Jordan Coughtry
 ​Photos taken courtesy of Darrell Hoemann Photography

About The Play

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night explores the lives, loves, and misunderstandings among the nobles of Illyria. After being shipwrecked off the coast of Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a male servant named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. Orsino asks Cesario to woo Countess Olivia for him, but Olivia falls for Cesario instead. Viola's twin brother Sebastien, who she assumed died in the shipwreck, arrives in Illyria. Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario and marries him, leading Orsino to accuse Cesario of treachery. Viola reveals her true identity and dispels the confusion. Orsino asks Viola to marry him and she accepts.

The Sound Design


​Prologue

Guiding us into the beginning of the play, straight away I established the musical vocabulary of the show with a jazzy New Orleans blues track, which eventually becomes overtaken with the storm that serves as the catalyst to the show. With the audience immersed into the storm, as the scene is set, the storm fades away as the music dims to the gramaphone on stage with Orsino's opening line, "If music be the food of love, play on."


​The Letter

With the end of Act 3, we have the famous letter scene where Olivia's servants set forth a game of trickery with Malvolio. This scene is a great example of the immersive quality of the sound design. We hear the cicadas of the morning mixed with lush coastal birds from around the theatre. As the fools celebrate their plan set in motion a triumphant and goofy New Orleans inspired track guides us into Intermission.


​​​Malvolio's Prison

Our idea for the prison scene between Feste and Malvolio was to place it in a sewer type of area. To help emphasis this idea, a large seal opening to reveal the scene was accompanied by a loud metallic hit, which was then followed by water dripping to establish the space. We leave the sewer the same way we enter.

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​​For It Raineth Every Day

With the ending song, we wanted to button the show with another storm just as it begin. To help enhance Feste's music, certain phrases of the music triggered distant thunder and finally ending with the rain fall as she mentions her final lines.