The Stone Church Players (aka SCP) is pleased to present Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the fourth installment of the popular ‘Shakespeare in the Sheds’ series and the first comedy since 2022’s Much Ado About Nothing. The show opens Friday September 6th and will run for two weekends with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm on Sundays. Under the direction of Artistic Director Michael F. McClellan, returning to a main stage production for the first time since last year’s Macbeth, the production team includes Aaron Jackson as producer, Leslie Patient as Co-Director, John Leslie as Stage Manager, and Darren DeAngelo as Set and Lighting Designer. Continuing the tradition of presenting Shakespeare outdoors, Mr. McClellan is staging the play on the grounds of the All Saints’ Memorial Church campus and reimagining the action against a backdrop of a 1920’s beach resort.
Talia Strauss leads the cast as Viola, a young woman who is shipwrecked along with her twin brother Sebastien on the shores of Illyria, ruled by the Duke Orsino. She is compassionate and kind and finds herself living a double life as a male servant of the Duke. Ms. Strauss was last seen in February’s highly acclaimed reading of Dog Sees God and made her SCP debut last September as Mary Warren in The Crucible. John Davis plays the Duke Orsino, ruler of Illyria and hopelessly in love with the wealthy and beautiful Olivia, played by Grace Ahlin. Both are making their SCP debuts after having appeared together as Peter and Ted in Peter and the Starcatcher at Holmdel Theatre Company this past April.
John Paul Durazzo returns to the SCP stage for his sixth production, playing Malvolio, the pompous steward of Olivia’s household. Mr. Durazzo was last seen as Georg Nowack in SCP’s June production of She Loves Me and audiences may remember him for his turn as Reverend Hale in The Crucible. Playing opposite Mr. Durazzo is another “Crucible” alum, Jacob Turchi, as Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s uncle, who finds great pleasure in tormenting Malvolio. Mr. Turchi is back for his third production with SCP having last appeared as CB in Dog Sees God.
Rounding out the cast are Emily Lipman as Sebastien, Masha Maister as Feste the Fool, Andrew Struse as Sir Andrew, Theodore Vaysberg as Antonio/Captain, Arielle Halpern as Maria, Chris Stypa as Fabian, and Allison Dassler as Valentine.
Show synopsis (from Shakespeare Birthplace Trust): Viola and her twin brother Sebastian have been shipwrecked; each believes the other to be drowned. Viola disguises herself as a young man and, under the name of Cesario, gets a job as a servant for the Duke, Orsino.
Running time: approximately 2 hours with a ten-minute intermission. Street parking is available on Oakdale Run. You may enter the parking lot by the path next to the mailbox. A limited number of accessible parking spots will be available in the main parking lot. Please email us at stonechurchplayersnj@gmail.com and we can reserve a parking spot for you. Restrooms are available in the Parish House and refreshments will be available for purchase on the patio. Chairs are provided and seating is first come, first served. Patrons may bring their own chairs if desired. We offer three ticket prices - $20 for adults, $15 for students, and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at scp.booktix.com (includes a small service fee) or reserved by emailing us. Limited tickets will be available for purchase at the door (cash preferred). For more information visit our website, stonechurchplayers.org.
