William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

DIRECTOR’S NOTE A shipwreck, a woman in mourning, and unrequited love. Sounds like the beginnings to one of Shakespeare’s greatest…comedies?

Indeed it is!

What you will see on our stage this evening is one of Shakespeare’s finest works, rife with mistaken identities, song and dance, and a cheekiness that only the Bard can deliver. You will also see an embracing of true self despite the world’s critical and oft-misguided opinion of who we should or should not be. You will see the fruit of living life unapologetically and without fear; off embracing courage amidst chaos. And hopefully you will find that if you can just unfetter yourself from the demands of this very fallen world, what will remain will be a lightness, an unmistakable Truth, that you are loved exactly as you are–as you have been created to be.

My hope and prayer for you this evening is that you will smile, laugh, be surprised, and maybe even a little bit impressed by our humble production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Thank you for continuing to support us here at Valley Christian Theatre!

In peace,

Myra Kaelin, Director

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PRESENTS

October 19-21, 26-28 | 7:30pm STAGE MANAGER

SCENIC DESIGN & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

AUDREY STARINK

JUSTIN McPHERSON

LIGHTING DESIGN

COSTUME DESIGN

KEATON MILLER

KATHY RISK

MUSIC ADVISOR AND VOCAL DIRECTOR

CHOREOGRAPHER

LAYNA CHIANAKAS

KIMBERLEIGH BROWN

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR & DRAMATURG

NICCOLE CARNER

DIRECTED BY

MYRA KAELIN

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SETTING The action takes place in and around the coastal town of Illyria There will be one 10 minute intermission

DRAMATURG’S NOTE You may be asking yourself, “What is a Dramaturg?” Berklee College of Music gives us an excellent definition for this incredibly valuable role: “Dramaturgs are a behindthe-scenes resource for directors, actors, and playwrights, providing context, research, and feedback to help improve the quality or accuracy of a production.” The work of a dramaturg dives deep into the “temporal, geographic, or cultural setting of a production, while other times it’s about the playwright or librettist’s life, or personal and political events that may have influenced the work.” (https://www.berklee.edu/careers/roles/dramaturg).

As valuable as a dramaturg’s role is on any given production, it is, unfortunately, often cut or forgotten. We have been extremely fortunate during this production to have Dr. Niccole Carner join us as not only our assistant director, but also as our production dramaturg. Please enjoy her notes below, which we hope will deepen your understanding and enjoyment of the production.

Most of us are familiar with the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” which counts the days between Christmas and the Feast of Epiphany. On the eve of Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, the Elizabethans celebrated “Twelfth Night” by turning the world upside down: rulers served servants, fools played kings.

Much like modern-day Mardis Gras, “Twelfth Night” pushed the boundaries of society.

Parlayed into Shakespeare’s work, with the world “topsy-turvy,” the characters of Twelfth Night are free to explore new identities, roles, genders, and relationships without the fear of overstepping their positions. Our play vacillates between mischief and convention, mayhem and control, festivity and sobriety, mourning and love.

The subtitle to the play, “What You Will,” implicates us, the audience, in the action of the play. In some ways, the spectator plays the role of a co-protagonist–the play is what you will it to be. We are complicit with the action of the play; we agree to Viola’s disguise, partake in Malvolio’s duping, and are privy to many mistaken identities.

Though the play ends in the promise of marriage, as all Shakespearean comedies do, it fashions less-than-happy endings for many of the characters who are left broken and alone, reminding us that the obverse of fresh-minted sorrow is joy.

Dr. Niccole Carner, Assistant Director & Dramaturg

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DRAMATIS PERSONAE (in order of appearance) Joshua Prabhakar.............................................................................................................................Orsino Heena Kim............................................................................................................................................. Curio Keya Shah...................................................................................................................................... Valentine Maya Bangalore...................................................................................................................................Viola Varan Verma.................................................................................................................................... Captain Grey Hill................................................................................................................................ Sir Toby Belch Kathryn Parmenter............................................................................................................................ Maria Jack Gunter........................................................................................................Sir Andrew Aguecheek Ginger Kaelin....................................................................................................................................... Feste Katie Lopes...........................................................................................................................................Olivia Elijah Willson................................................................................................................................. Malvolio Lakarah Vance................................................................................................................................Antonio Jack Bauer.................................................................................................................................... Sebastian Tayla Turnquest ............................................................................................................................... Fabian Anjali Khiani.....................................................................................................................................Servant Vedanth Ramachandran.....................................................................................................First Officer Jacob Thomas...................................................................................................................Second Officer Johan Gonzalez...................................................................................................................................Priest Camille Baham............................................................................. Attendants, Musicians, & Dancers Anjali Khiani Gwenyth Lundgaard Inika Mukherjee Isabella Nguyen Jordan Jones Lily Le Talia Santizo Valerie Tsai Clarisse Wong

STAGE CREW ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT DRAMATURG

DANCE CAPTAIN & ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER

HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGN

KEATON MILLER

GWENYTH LUNDGAARD BACKSTAGE MANAGER

MATEO ROSS GRAPHIC DESIGN

JILL CARLSON & MAEGAN COLLETT

HEENA KIM

LISA KESTER RUNNING CREW

LONNI ADAMS, BAILEY COFFEE, AVA DELKE, OLIVER KAELIN, WALTER KUCHAREWSKI, SOPHIA MORAIS, AIDEN TANNER 5

BIOGRAPHIES A founding member of Valley Christian Theatre, Myra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance from Santa Clara University, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Arts in Theatre Education at University of Northern Colorado.

Directing highlights include The Play That Goes Wrong, The Crucible, The Addams Family, Hello, Dolly!, You Can’t Take It With You, Guys & Dolls, Vanya and Sonia and Masha Myra Kaelin, and Spike, and The Producers, among others. Favorite on Producer and Director stage credits include Steel Magnolias (M’Lynn Eatenton), Follies (Stella Deems), and Mom’s Gift (Trish). She has worked extensively with her local theatre community both on and off the stage, including serving as President of the Board of Directors for South Valley Civic Theatre.

During the 2020-2021 school year, she spearheaded two fully produced and filmed online productions for VCS: Godspell, and Check Please. She would not be here today without the unflinching support of her husband, Michael, and her three beautiful children, Lucia, Oliver, and Ginger, who often also grace the stage. Glory to God in all things!

Nicole Carner Assistant Director & Dramaturg

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Niccole Carner holds her PhD in Theatre & Drama from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; her dissertation explored concepts of national identity within the plays of the National Theatre of Scotland. She’s previously served as dramaturg for The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona, An Evening of Beckett Short Plays, and Eurydice.

She appeared on the VCHS stage last year as Mrs. Merkle in Bye Bye Birdie; other favorite productions include Hamlet (Gertrude), Woyzeck (Marie), The Mousetrap (Mollie Ralston), Miss Julie (Julie), The Birthday Party (Meg), 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol (Judy), and Richard II (Duchess of Gloucester).

Kidservatory Elementary Musical Productions Presents

December 15-16, 2023

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AFFIRMING THE ARTS Fall 2023 Sept 28-30.................. One Acts Festival - JH Theatre Oct 18........................... Sounds of Autumn - JH/HS Bands Oct 19-21...................... William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night - HS Theatre 26-28 Oct 24.......................... Fall Choral Concert - JH/HS Choirs Nov 2............................ Fall Strings Concert - JH/HS Strings Nov 16-18..................... Emerge: Welcome to Oz! - HS Dance Dec 4-7......................... Christmas at the California - K-12 Conservatory Monday, December 4 - K-3 EL Choirs Tuesday, December 5 - JH Music Wednesday, December 6 4/5 EL Music, HS Band and Percussion Thursday, December 7 - Conservatory Night

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Dec 15-16..................... Kidservatory Musical Production - EL Theatre

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