William Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night"

Shakespeare Tour Comes to the JRT

Jonesborough, TN - The Drifting Theatre Company and UnCovered Theatre will bring William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, July 11th and 12th.

The Drifting Theatre Company is a Tri- Cities based touring theatre company. This summer The Drifting Theatre is partnering with UnCovered Theatre, a Chicago based theatre, to tour a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to seven states, including Tennessee. Six actors take on various roles in this fast-paced production filled with music, comedy, dazzling sword fights and of course Shakespeare’s brilliant language. Alaska Reece Vance, Artistic Director of The Drifting Theatre says, “We’ve had a great time bringing Shakespeare’s whirlwind of characters, music and imagery to life for our production. Our fight choreographers are always ready with creative choreography which has made learning the fights for this show an exciting challenge.”

“This beguiling comedy follows the romantic adventures of Viola and her twin Sebastian, both shipwrecked in the enchanted dukedom of Illyria. [The play turns into a] time-honored story of cross-dressing and mistaken identity, all in the name of love,” summarizes one source. Twelfth Night was believed to have been written around 1601. It was performed as an entertainment piece ending the Christmas season, highlighting the musical interludes and chaos that such a time may bring. The subtitle of the play is entitled What You Will which implicates some standards of the wealthy society’s lack of work ethic because of focus on drink, dance and merriment or pleasurable entitlements.

The cast consists of Katie Fridsma of Orlando FL, Chad Rasor of Columbus OH, Katie Cheely of Chicago IL, Rob Arbaugh and Rachel Arbaugh of Detroit MI, and local actress, Alaska Reece Vance. The performances are scheduled for Saturday, July 11 at 8:00pm and Sunday, July 12 at 2:00pm. The production runs approximately 90 minutes.

“JRT is excited to host the theatre companies,” says Kathleen Buttolph, JRT’s Artistic Director. “Few theatres in our area produce Shakespeare. These traveling theatre troupes remind us to keep on teaching and performing the works of the Bard.”

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors (65+). To purchase tickets, please call the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423-753-1010.

Both performances will be held at Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. JRT is located at 125½ West Main Street, Jonesborough, across from Jonesborough Presbyterian Church, next door to the Historic Eureka Inn.

More information on openings in summer classes, auditions and upcoming events, please check out the website at www.jonesboroughtheatre.com.