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Shakespeare at the Rock 2019: 

Twelfth Night: To Be Seen, or Not To Be Seen

A background of black bricks with the words "Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: To be seen or not to be seen" in the style of a neon sign on it.


Shipwrecked twins, a lovesick duke, and a self-important servant walk the runway in the ultimate Miami 80s fashion showdown of desire. Shakespeare’s masterpiece of misdirected desire gets the Vogue culture makeover in this comedy classic.
 

What does all that mean? Here's the director, Claudia, to let us in:

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, packed with mistaken identity, romance, farce, and a spirit of rebellion to rival 1980s Miami Beach nightlife. Twelfth Night follows an ensemble cast of clowns and lovers alike, all attempting to navigate courtship, relationships, and a few actual ships. At its core, the play is about looking for a life partner and finding yourself instead, often in the darkest and most bewildering of places. Given this description, this version is inspired by one of the darkest and most bewildering places we can think of: a nightclub. This is a space where young people - not unlike the ones Shakespeare was writing - take chances, experiment with self-expression, and show a side of themselves they may not reveal in the light of day. We’ve all been there - or are there - so why not put Shakespeare’s characters there too?

 

A group of people stand smiling onstage in hats, sunglasses, and flower leis holding a rope as if they were on the bow of a ship.
A woman holding a skateboard across her shoulders and wearing a backwards baseball hat and animal print shirt looks into the camera. There are multi-coloured lights shining on her and the photograph has a "double vision" quality to it.
A drag queen with curly red hair, a sparkling dress, and a gold and black robe walks across the stage  holding a handful of paper money.
Two people dance the tango onstage while one holds a rose in their mouth and dips the other.

Tottering Biped Theatre wishes to thank the Ontario Arts Council, The Incite Foudation, The Canada Presentation Fund, The Hamilton Enrichment Fund, and our private donors for making this series possible.

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