Thursday, September 09, 2004

September 9, 2004

Wilmington, N.C.—Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is reinvented by Aquila Theatre Company in the University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. Aquila’s production of Twelfth Night features a superb cast of American and British actors, an original musical score, an innovative stage design and a unique physical approach, and launches UNCW’s 2004-05 Arts in Action Performance Series.

“When Aquila Theatre Company was here in 2000, they presented such a memorable show that even now, four years later, I still get requests to bring them back,” said Shannon Hooker, assistant director for programs and marketing, University Union. “How could I pass up an opportunity to do just that, especially with a play that is easily one of Shakespeare’s most popular.”

Written in 1600, Twelfth Night is the tale of Sebastian and Viola, twins separated during a shipwreck. The two, thinking the other dead, alight upon Illyria, a city populated with practical jokers, pining lovers and one very comical villain. Hilarity ensues when Viola disguises herself as a man, giving Shakespeare the opportunity to explore universal themes of love and all its ambiguous effects on human behavior.

Aquila frees the essential spirit of this Shakespearean masterpiece in a production that is both faithful to the original while still relevant and accessible to a modern audience. The company has a well-earned international reputation as one of the foremost producers of touring classical theatre. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Peter Meineck, Aquila presents fresh and inventive productions that The New Yorker describes as “beautifully spoken, dramatically revealing and crystalline in effect.”

Founded in 1991, the company has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States and Canada, has presented regular runs in New York and London. Aquila is Professional Company in Residence at the Center for Ancient Studies at New York University, and has received the prize for Dramatic Excellence from Greece and several prestigious British Council Touring awards.

Aquila will conduct a master class featuring UNCW students Friday afternoon. The public is free to observe. For more information, visit www.uncw.edu/arts.

BOX OFFICE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $6 for university and area students, $12 for UNCW faculty/staff and senior citizens and $18 for all others. Arts in Action Mainstage season subscriptions may be purchased at a savings of 15 percent off ticket prices before Friday, Oct. 15. For tickets, call Kenan Auditorium box office at 910/962-3500 or 800/732-3643 outside the Wilmington area. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

ABOUT UNCW ARTS IN ACTION PERFORMANCE SERIES

Sponsored by the University Union at UNCW and funded in part by UNCW student fees, the Arts in Action Performance Series seeks to culturally enrich, educate and entertain both students and the general public through the presentation of diverse programs featuring professional, high-quality performing artists. For more information, please visit the Arts in Action web site at www.uncw.edu/arts.

UNCW Arts in Action is a member of the N.C. Presenters Consortium and the U.S. National Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The 150 member venues of the N.C. Presenters Consortium may be visited at www.presenters.org.