The Aquila Teatre Company presented Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 7:30 PM in the Performing Arts Center.  There were many people in attendance, and the audience was very receptive of the play.

The Twelfth Night is about a set of fraternal twins that could pass for identical twins except for one fact:  one is a boy and one is a girl.  The play begins with them on a ship when a storm hits.  The twins, Viola and Sebastian, are separated and set into two different directions.  Then, the play follows the story of the girl.

Viola dresses up as a boy and seeks help from Duke Orsino.  Duke Orsino hires her to tell Lady Olivia of his love.  In a turn of events, Lady Olivia falls in love with Viola who is dressed as a boy.  Meanwhile, Viola is in love with Duke Orsino.

The version of the play presented varies slightly from the traditional Shakespeare play.  It did follow the basic plot of The Twelfth Night.  The actors managed to bring the play into a new light, understandable by all in attendance.  At least one gender role was switched:  Toby Belch became Lady Belch, but this had little to no effect on the play’s meaning.  The role was adapted perfectly to fit the casting of this version.

The Aquila Theatre Company works nationally, traveling to more than 60 cities every year to present that year’s plays.  They have also performed in New York City (not on Broadway), and on occasions have traveled outside the United States to perform in London, Holland, Germany, Greece, Scotland, Canada, and Bermuda where they perform at festivals.  One such performance was the performance of Herakles in Syros, Greece.

This play was the first of three Shakespeare plays to be performed at Stockton this year.  The other Shakespeare plays presented are Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet.