The Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware will present Shakespeare’s enchanting comedy Twelfth Night from April 19 through May 6 in the Roselle Center for the Arts.

Surviving a shipwreck, Viola washes ashore in Illyria, where love is in the air, confusion reigns supreme and unrequited love lurks around every corner. To make her way in this foreign land, she disguises herself as a young man, only to stumble into an unexpected and hilarious love triangle. What follows is an adventure full of music, mismatched passions and a gaggle of Shakespeare’s most delightful comic characters in this co-production with The Acting Company.

“We are delighted to once again have the Tony Award-nominated director Maria Aitken helm a production for the REP,” says Producing Artistic Director Sanford Robbins. “Maria previously directed last spring’s sold-out production of Tartuffe and our 2015 production of Heartbreak House.”

Performances begin Thursday, April 19, and run through Sunday, May 6, in the Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts.  Opening night is Saturday, April 21. Special guest speakers will discuss aspects of the production during free pre-show presentations on Saturday, April 28 and Saturday, May 5.  Talkbacks with the cast take place on Thursday, April 26, and Friday, May 4.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu/, by phone at 302-831-2204 or in person at the REP box office in the Roselle Center for the Arts. Single tickets are $20-$31, with discounts available for seniors, full-time students, military and groups of 10 or more.

REP productions are supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.   

About the REP

The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company located at UD. Its mission is to engage audiences throughout the tristate region and beyond with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range and breadth of each resident actor in this ensemble of nationally respected stage actors who have been trained in the same way.

The REP is committed to create future audiences for live theatre by offering its productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of income.

About the Acting Company

Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley, The Acting Company (Ian Belknap, artistic director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, executive director) has been “the major touring classical theatre in the United States” by The New York Times and is the only professional repertory company dedicated to the development of classical actors. The company has reached 4 million people in 48 states and 10 foreign countries with its productions and education programs, and has helped to launch the careers of some 400 actors, including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Jesse L. Martin, Keith David, Frances Conroy, Harriet Harris, David Schramm, Jeffrey Wright and Hamish Linklater. Over a dozen commissioned new works include plays by Lynn Nottage, Tony Kushner, John Guare, David Mamet, Beth Henley, Rebecca Gilman, Maria Irene Fornes, William Finn, Ntozake Shange and more. The Acting Company is the recipient of a special Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater for its contributions to the American theater.