Twelfth Night

July 22, 23, 24

Twelfth Night Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Nicolette Adams

Twelfth Night Act 1, Scene 1 through Act 3, Scene 1 Intermission Act 3, Scene 2 through Act 5, Scene 1

Setting Camp Illyria in the Catskill Mountains in the 1950s

PRODUCTION STAFF

Gabi Cherelli & Heather McElhiney....................................................Producers Nicolette Adams.................................................................................................Director Allison Baron.....................................................................................................Costumes Maureen Scallatino................................................................................................Props Steve Montgomery.....................................................Set Design/Construction Mike Addice..........................................................................Light Design/Operator Evan McElhiney......................................................................................Sound Design Ryan Kadwill......................................................................Sound Design/Operator Denise Kolodziej.................................................................................Stage Manager Phoebe Myers..................................................................Assistant Stage Manager Phil Nathanson..............................................................Sound/Light/Stage Crew Gabi Cherelli...........................Graphic Design/Videography/Photography Leslie Hopper..........................................................................................Photographer SPECIAL THANKS The Barn Playhouse Players Club of Swarthmore Margaret McIntyre The Variety Club

Director’s Note Welcome to the Dell! Yes, that’s really what this space is called!

For the first time in MCT’s 44-year history, we’re taking on Shakespeare! And what a show to start with; Twelfth Night is the Bard’s quintessential comedy with mistaken identities, love triangles, and seeking revenge in the most hilarious ways.

This show has truly been a labor of love. We began the process during the pandemic when we weren’t really sure what was going to happen, when (or even if ) restrictions would be lifted and to what extent, and what our limitations would be as far as casting, audience size, social distancing, and many other factors. I am pleased to say that many of the restrictions that we had all gotten used to became a non-issue after we learned that all of our cast and production team were fully vaccinated. This allowed us to throw the pandemic and its restrictions out the window and focus entirely on creating a piece of classic theater (with our modern twist, of course!).

I told everyone at the beginning of this process that flexibility was going to have to rule and that has definitely been true. This amazing cast and crew have endured sweltering heat, torrential downpours, and vicious insects during our outdoor rehearsals, accepted with grace that we might not be able to power our sound equipment due to electrical issues (this has been remedied, thankfully), and taken every other setback in stride.

I am so grateful for these amazing people. A director is only as good as their team (cast included), and I am thankful for every single one of them. They have made me better, and really, what more could I ask for out of this experience?

Our labor of love is now yours to enjoy and we hope you love it as much as we do.

Welcome back to Live Theater! It’s going to be even better than when we left!

- Nicolette Adams

CAST

Matt Bartolotta........................................................................................................Orsino Dani Cantor.........................................................................................................Valentine Vinnie Emilianowicz.........................................................................................Antonio Mara Felice...................................................................................................................Olivia Christine Furey.........................................................................................Viola/Cesario Max Gorman............................................................................................Captain/Priest Maeve O’Brien.........................................................................................................Fabian

Paul Recupero.....................................................................................................Malvolio Timothy Schumann......................................................................................Sebastian Laura Shapella....................................................................................Lady Toby Belch Maddi Sloan.................................................................................................................Feste Dan Wentzel.........................................................................Sir Andrew Aguacheek Lindsay Zimmerman.............................................................................................Maria

MEET THE CAST Matt Bartolotta (Orsino) Matt is ecstatic to be performing live, in-person theater again!

This is his first time performing Shakespeare outside of a college classroom, and he couldn’t be happier performing it with such a stellar cast, director, and production team!

Dani Cantor (Valentine) Dani is deliriously happy to be back onstage with MCT in her first production since the beforetimes and her first ever Shakespeare play. She would like to thank her furry sons Oliver and Pippin, her family and friends, and her BFFLs at Pfizer-BioNTech for always having her back.

Vinnie Emilianowicz (Antonio) Vinnie is very excited to return to the stage after not acting for almost 20 years! In his youth, Vinnie enjoyed a lot of acting, but health and financial concerns drew him away and he focused on building his career. Now he returns happy and healthy, supported with deep love by Mark, his husband of 2 years, and his family.

Mara Felice (Olivia) Mara is excited to be returning to MCT after having played a Silly Girl in their 2018 rendition of Beauty and the Beast. This will be Mara’s fifth Shakespeare production, having previously played Miranda (The Tempest), Luciana (Comedy of Errors), Phebe (As You Like It), and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet). Mara is working on her BSED in English at West Chester University and received her acting training at Towson University.

Christine Furey (Viola/Cesario) Christine is excited to be part of another fabulous MCT production! She was last seen on stage as Babette in MCT’s production of Beauty and the Beast. Other recent credits include: Meg Snider (Leading Ladies), Fran Kubelik (Promises, Promises), Dainty June (Gypsy), and Mrs. Dean (Bury the Dead).

Christine would like to thank her family and friends as well as the cast and crew for their endless love and support!

Max Gorman (Captain/Priest) Max is appearing in his first production with MCT. Collegiate credits with DeSales University’s Act One include: Spoon River Anthology (Actor One), The Cherry Orchard (u/s Pischik), and Dames at Sea (Hennessey, u/s Captain). Other credits include The Robber Bridegroom, Joseph and...Dreamcoat and Urinetown. Max would like to thank his family, friends, and theater educators.

MEET THE CAST Maeve O’Brien (Fabian) Maeve is very excited to be a part of the Twelfth Night cast!

This is her first show with MCT but has been performing in musicals for almost ten years. She would like to thank her family for coming to see the show and the cast and crew for making this a wonderful experience. Break a leg!

Paul Recupero (Malvolio) Paul is thrilled to be performing alongside such a talented team of actors in his second Shakespeare show ever (Fare thee well, The Tempest). Previously, he appeared on MCT’s stage as Professor Bhaer in Little Women and George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. He also has performed in and directed several productions for other local theaters and directs Devon Prep’s annual musical. Paul is a lawyer who works for nonprofit AccessLex Institute as a legal content editor for its new bar exam prep course. “Many thanks to Nicolette and the production team, my wonderful wife Brittany, and you for coming to see the show!”

Timothy Schumann (Sebastian) This is Timothy’s first show here at MCT! Some of his other favorite previous roles include: Henry/Lord Byron in Frankenstein (Burlington County Footlighters), Lord of the Underworld in Eurydice (Old Academy Players), Jack in The Tin Woman (DCP Theatre), Gregory in Done To Death (Village Players of Hatboro), and Whit in Of Mice and Men (Bridge Players). He would like to send all his thanks to his parents and his fiance, Myrriah, for all of their love and support.

Laura Shapella (Lady Toby Belch) Laura is delighted to imbibe her way through this classic comedy. Twelfth Night marks her third gender-swapped Shakesperian role. Other favorite roles include: Antonia (The Tempest), Gremio (Taming of the Shrew), Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Pfeni Rosensweig (The Sisters Rosensweig), Nancy (Pursued by a Bear), and Rosalind (Love’s Labour’s Lost). Much love and thanks as always to Brian, Katie, and Danny.

Maddi Sloan (Feste) Maddi is thrilled to be making her MCT debut with this wonderfully funny cast. She has been seen in various productions at the Barn Playhouse over the last 12 years, most recently First Date in 2019. She would like to thank the entire cast and production crew for such a warm welcome to MCT and for making this show such a fun and amazing experience!

Dan Wentzel (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) Dan is happy to be performing for his first show with MCT. Previous roles include: Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing at Steel River Playhouse, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at DCP Theatre, Hortensio in Taming of the Shrew at Playcrafters, and virtually every Shakespearian character ever written while part of the Mad Mechanicals, a parody troupe which performed at multiple renaissance faires throughout the region. Daniel would like to take this moment to shamelessly plug his multiple superhero-themed novels available on Amazon and also his podcast of radio play comedies, Seat of Our Pants Players, available on virtually any podcast platform.

MEET THE CAST Lindsay Zimmerman (Maria) Lindsay is thrilled to be back on stage in-person performing in Twelfth Night! She has previously been seen in the flesh in Once Upon a Mattress as Lady Larken, The Secret Garden as Rose, and as a Gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Lindsay has also been seen virtually as Mary Bailey in the It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and as the wine drinking Engineer in MCT’s promo videos. Love and thanks to Sarah, Katie, and my amazing family.

MCT would like to thank our donors: Sue Carney Diane DiSandro Ray DiSandro Jr. John Gray Johnson and Johnson Laymen Playmen Liberty Mutual Kate McShane Elizabeth Ruth Parnell Pfizer Inc. Irene Savage MCT 2021 Board of Directors: Kate McShane (President) Nicolette Adams (Vice President) Sue Carney (Secretary) Ashley Lawrence (Treasurer) - non-board Barb Cross John Gray Katie McCool Heather McElhiney Lindsay Zimmerman

MCT would like to thank Variety Club for the use of the Dell to rehearse and perform Twelfth Night. We appreciate their generosity and value our ongoing partnership with them.

Founded 85 years ago, Variety – the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley has a mission to enrich the lives of children and young adults with disabilities through social, educational, and vocational programs that nurture independence and self-confidence and prepare them for life.