February 19, 2026 – May 3, 2026
“If music be the food of love, play on.”
— Act 1, Scene 1
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Or What You WIll, nothing and no one is quite what they seem. Shipwrecked and alone, Viola disguises herself as a man and stumbles into Shakespeare’s most tangled love triangle: a duke in love with a countess, a countess in love with a servant, and Viola caught in between.
Add wild parties, forged letters, and yellow stockings, and Twelfth Night shines as one of Shakespeare’s most joyous and mischievous plays. Join us for a tale of music and misrule set in a clockpunk Illyria.
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Age Policy: We welcome young theatre-goers ages 7 and up.
View our Spring 2026 Digital Program.
Cast
Angelique Archer is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Darin Earl is an Actor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Topher Embrey is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Summer England is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Blake Henri is an accomplished actor who brings dynamic and captivating performances to ASC and beyond.
Angela Iannone is a celebrated actor, known for her nuanced performances and captivating presence at ASC and beyond.
Christopher Joel Onken is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Justin McCombs is an Actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Isabel Lee Roden is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA.
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
Creative Team
Director of Twelfth Night (2026) at the American Shakespeare Center.
Cait Redman is a dedicated theatre artist whose insightful direction and love for Shakespearean performance shine at the ASC and beyond.
Alexander Carey is a Stage Manager whose expertise and passion bring seamless productions to life at ASC and beyond.
Rachael Sheffer, Assistant Stage Manager at the American Shakespeare Center.
Aimee Amelia Greco is an Assistant Stage Manager for the Spring 2026 Season at the American Shakespeare Center.
Blake Henri is an accomplished actor who brings dynamic and captivating performances to ASC and beyond.
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
Christopher Joel Onken is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Summer England is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Angela Iannone is a celebrated actor, known for her nuanced performances and captivating presence at ASC and beyond.
Haley Fentriss Roberts is an accomplished Intimacy Choreographer dedicated to fostering meaningful connections on stage at ASC and beyond.
Doreen Bechtol is a seasoned movement consultant, actor, and educator with extensive experience in theatre, choreography, and original devised works.
Elizabeth Wislar is a costume designer at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore her theatre experience and education.
Thomas J. Coppola was part of the American Shakespeare Center from 2015 to 2025.
Conrad Gothard worked at the American Shakespeare Center from 2023 – 2026
Grace Easterday, Prop Shop Manager at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA.
Amy Monsalve is Wardrobe Manager & Design Assistant at the ASC, recognized for her attention to detail and passion for bringing costumes to life.
Trina Yager is the Costume Coordinator & Wardrobe Supervisor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Rebecca Bailey is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Meet Siena Maxwell, Dramaturgy Fellow for the Spring 2026 TWELFTH NIGHT production at the American Shakespeare Center.
MARCY GIRARD is a prop shop intern for the ASC’s Spring 2026 Season.
Acting Fellow
Samuel M. Acosta is an Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center (ASC). Explore his extensive theatre experience and upcoming roles.
Guy Aiken, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Lydia Sophia Christensen is a dynamic performer whose versatility and passion bring captivating characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Madeleine Cook is a dynamic performer whose versatility and passion bring captivating characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Oliver Chase Marten, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Evin McQuistion, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Kathleen Mitchell is a passionate performer whose compelling portrayals bring Shakespearean and contemporary characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Kelsey Rich, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Chris Rothbauer, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Nick Trusty, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
- Orsino, Duke of Illyria, expresses his love for the Lady Olivia, who will not see him.
- Viola washes ashore in Illyria after a shipwreck that seems to have killed her twin, Sebastian. She decides to disguise herself as a man and serve Duke Orsino as his page.
- Orsino sends his new page (Viola, disguised as Cesario) to woo Olivia on his behalf. Viola has fallen in love with Orsino, and reluctantly goes to Olivia as Cesario. Olivia falls in love with Cesario.
- Meanwhile, Olivia’s gentlewoman, Maria, chides Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, for staying out too late, drinking too much, and bringing Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a “foolish knight”, to woo Olivia.
- Malvolio, Olivia’s steward, interrupts late-night revelry between Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Feste, Olivia’s fool. With Maria, they plot revenge against Malvolio.
- Viola’s twin, Sebastian, survives the shipwreck and travels to Illyria. Antonio, the sea captain who saved his life, follows him.
- Mistaken identities, counterfeit love-letters, and yellow stockings ensue…
I love the unique opportunity the Blackfriars Playhouse gives the audience and actors to be in shared light together. In this illuminated relationship I am excited to take us on a journey of discerning what is hidden by desire, delight and disguise in Twelfth Night or What You Will.
Olivia. I prithee tell me what thou think’st of me.
Viola. That you do think you are not what you are.
Olivia. If I think so, I think the same of you.
Viola. Then think you right. I am not what I am.
Olivia. I would you were as I would have you be.
Viola. Would it be better, madam, than I am?
(III, i, 136-141)
How can we learn to see ourselves and others more honestly? How can grief and longing transform into fulfillment and joy?
These are the questions Shakespeare invites us to sit with as we watch his characters navigate their sorrow, appetites and entanglements.
— Nana Dakin