Jr High Blog

“Twelfth Night” refers to the feast on the night before Epiphany (the Twelfth day of Christmas), which is when Christians traditionally celebrate the visit of the magi (or wise men). This pre-Epiphany celebration was also called “The Feast of Fools” and can be traced back to pagan festivals such as Saturnalia in ancient Rome. On this night, everything is traditionally turned upside down: kings become peasants, servants become masters, and fools become wise. Many games and enactments played on this theme of an “upside down world” where people’s positions were reversed. Shakespeare likely wrote this play to be performed at a Twelfth Night celebration, riffing on the theme of reversals by using the familiar trope of mistaken identity—wherein several characters mistakenly fall in love with the wrong person, thus creating multiple love triangles. This also explains the secondary plot where one servant attempts to rise too far beyond his rank and must be brought down by the others.

Along with these playful inversions, Shakespeare explores love in many different forms. He shows us how changeable and selfish love can be—often focusing on physical beauty. Then he shows us how little that matters in the end. He points out that beauty fades too quickly, while love that grows from companionship can be lasting and true. God speaks similarly in Proverbs 31 (NIV), which reads, “A wife of noble character … She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come … Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” I like to think of our central character, Viola, as this kind of woman.

I often find brilliance and beauty in secular literature to be an echo of God’s wisdom and the artistry we find in Scripture. God chose to speak to us through poets and literary artists inspired by the Holy Spirit. They wrote complex narratives with themes that develop throughout the canon of Scripture, pointing us to the beauty of the one who will never change or fade: our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we explore great minds like Shakespeare’s, it can help us to understand God’s Word and His nature. What a worthy pursuit that we theatre folk are privileged to undertake!  

The greatest joy of theatre for me is collaboration, and I have been blessed with amazing help on this project. I would like to thank Mr. Ziesing for sharing insights into Shakespeare’s themes and language and how best to apply them to our production. It was also a joy to have alumni on the team: Isaac Delarme, as our acting coach and fight choreographer, and Kiana Duckworth, as our dance choreographer. My husband, Tony Lawson, continues to dazzle with his set design. Kathy Namy is a treasure as costume designer. In addition, Mr. McKee (our music director), together with our talented student band, magically made all my musical dreams for this production a reality! It would not have been possible, however, without the collaboration of our own brilliant band teacher, Sue Armstrong, who composed gorgeous music to complement the 400-year-old lyrics found in this script. Her songs will echo in our minds and hearts forever.