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Twelfth Night

Separated at sea, the twin siblings Viola and Sebastian land on the shores of Illyria, both thinking their twin sibling has died in the wreckage. Viola dresses as a page boy and is enlisted in the care of Duke Orsino, who courts the Duchess Olivia. Unexpectedly, it is Viola who falls in love with the Duke. In a series of mistaken identity, Sebastian and Viola find themselves in a predicament as confused nobles mistake the twins for each other.

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Play On Shakespeare > Comedy > Twelfth Night

At a Glance

Love • Mistaken Identity • Disguise

Productions, Readings & Workshops

Twelfth Night

Fall 2021 | Ashland High School | Play On Shakespeare Masterclass | Ashland, OR, USA
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Twelfth Night

November 8-11, 2018 | Shakespeare in Detroit | Production | Detroit, MI, USA
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Play On Podcasts

Twelfth Night

Translation by Alison Carey
Directed by Christopher Liam Moore

Carey's translation, starring Amy Brenneman, heightens Shakespeare's classic tale about love, loss, and reunion. This podcast is set in a Hamptons-esque Illyria during the golden age of radio.

Of the podcast, Head of Scripted Fiction at Next Chapter Podcasts, Michael Goodfriend, says, "Hear how Alison Carey's luminous translation heightens the poignancy in Shakespeare's story of love, loss, reunion, and forgiveness in this production."

Listen on Play On Podcasts

Paperback & eBooks

Twelfth Night

By William Shakespeare
Translation by Alison Carey

Alison Carey brings the confusion and mischief of Shakespeare’s comedy into the twenty-first century. ​

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night centers on power and love. One of the most perennially produced of Shakespeare’s comedies, it talks about shipwrecked twins, gender-bending romance, and a bumper crop of fools, from the wise to the ridiculous. Modernizing the language of the play, Alison Carey’s translation revives the joy of this comedy, taking the archaic humor and renewing it for a contemporary audience.

Buy Now from ACMRS Press

Production History

June 1, 2019

Play On! Festival NYC

Rehearsal and Staged Reading directed by JaMeeka Holloway with full cast as part of the Play On! Translation Festival in NYC.

Produced by:
Play On! / Classic Stage / Oregon Shakespeare Festival

May 4, 2019

Hero Theatre FIRST READS Online

Presented by Play On’s partner Hero Theatre as a part of our educational series FIRST READS.

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