Bell Shakespeare has announced cast members for its production of Twelfth Night, and there’s some gender swapping casting included.
As part of Bell Shakespeare’s major national tour to 25 venues across Australia from July – November 2023, Twelfth Night will travel to Heath Ledger Theatre August 16th – 19th and Mandurah Performing Arts Centre August22nd, Bunbury Entertainment Centre August 24th and August 27th Albany Entertainment Centre
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the play’s publication in 1623 as part of Shakespeare’s First Folio, this new production of Twelfth Night is a fresh retelling of the romantic comedy, offering a dark collision of hidden identities and unrequited love which asks audiences to find light in the dark.
The production will star film, television and theatre actor, Alfie Gledhill in the lead role of Viola, alongside Keith Agius, Isabel Burton, Amy Hack, Garth Holcombe, Tomáš Kantor, Mae Lacanilao, Ursula Mills and Jane Montgomery Griffiths.
Directed by Heather Fairbairn, who has worked internationally with companies including the Royal Opera House and the Royal Court Theatre in London, the production will feature original music from Aria Award winner Sarah Blasko, bringing a unique vision to Shakespeare’s most musical play.
Director Heather Fairbairn said she has always been fascinated by the work.
“I’m fascinated by the enigmatic nature of Twelfth Night, which transcends time and place. In this production, there is no specified setting which, coupled with the haunting nature of Sarah Blasko’s music, lends an otherworldly feel to the play.
“I’m delighted to be working with such a stellar cast of actors, who each bring something unique to their role. The production will subvert standard casting approaches in regards to gender, with the character of Malvolio transformed to Malvolia, played by the wonderful Jane Montgomery Griffiths, and the lead female role of Viola played by Alfie Gledhill; the result will offer a timely exploration of the fluidity of gender and sexuality.”
Montgomery Griffiths has had an acclaimed career as an actor, writer and academic. She’s appeared on television in iconic shows including The Bill, Red Dwarf and Lord of the Rings. Among her work as a playwright is Sappho…in 9 fragments, Sectioned, the libretto Razing Hypatia and an adaptation of Dorothy Porter’s Wild Surmise.
Alfie Gledhill is best known for the TV series The Gods of Wheat Street, he’s also appeared in recent series Back to the Rafters and will soon appear in the film Birdeater which has just been shown at the Sydney Film Festival.
Twelfth Night tells the story of the aristocratic Viola, who finds herself washed up in a strange new land and, determined to survive, disguises herself as a man to secure a position in the household of Duke Orsino, where passion, intrigue and mistaken identity ensue.
Bell Shakespeare is Australia’s national theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Founded in 1990 with the aim of sharing Shakespeare’s plays in a way that was relevant and exciting to all Australians, the company says it has now evolved further than its visionary founder, John Bell AO, could have hoped.
For all the tour dates head to the Bell Shakespeare Website.
OIP Staff
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