SYNOPSIS By Rachel Mihalko

After being shipwrecked at sea, Viola makes it to shore in a different country with the help of the captain, but her twin brother Sebastian is nowhere to be found. Stricken with grief and yearning for a way to start over, Viola hatches a plan to disguise herself in imitation of her brother, planning to serve the duke of this new land. Quickly earning the duke’s trust in the guise of a man, Viola, now identifying herself as Cesario, is sent to woo the noblewoman Olivia on behalf of Duke Orsino. However, Olivia is dealing with her own grief and has grown tired of the messengers sent regularly by the duke, long before Viola’s entrance as Cesario.

Can Viola ever persuade Olivia to accept Orsino’s love?

Viola begins falling for the duke, all the while pursuing another woman for the very man she has grown to love. A love triangle develops between Duke Orsino, Olivia, and Viola/Ce- sario.

Will Duke Orsino win Olivia’s love through the persuasion of Cesario? Or will Olivia continue to pursue Cesario, unaware that he is actually a she? And how will Viola move forward through her grief as mistaken identities continue to create cha- os in the new life she has created as Cesario? Will her brother ever be discovered, dead or alive?

Follow this intricate story of deception and mistaken identity, and, in the words of the bard, you will surely “laugh yourself into stitches.” CAST & CREW Viola...... Sullivan Hogan Meagan Jaeger (understudy) Olivia...... Takiya Briton Kat Pinkston Maria...... Caroline Adcock Mo Sparks Orsino/Soldier #1...... Ben Murray Micaiah Rogers Malvolio...... Jacob Beals Sir Toby Belch...... Dr. Alfred Custer Dr. Gavin Richardson Sir Andrew Aguecheek...... Jonathan Cooper Feste the Fool...... Isabella Gray Sebastian...... Kristin Klonowski Joey Echeverria Antonio...... Mary Hardy Luke Mills Curio/Soldier #2...... Charis Murrey Chase Piner Valentine...... Sarah Blevins Servant to Olivia...... Meagan Jaeger Captain/Priest...... Dr. Alfred Custer Dr. Gavin Richardson John Klonowski

Director...... John Klonowski Asst. Director...... Rachel Mihalko Stage Manager...... Sarah Blevins Costume Designer...... Kristin Beard Scenic Designer...... John Klonowski Props...... Madison McCarthy Marketing & PR...... Sullivan Hogan Costume Consultant...... Nicole Snover Costume/Makeup...... Anna Meadows, Lydia Burrell, Timia Bonds House Manager...... Julia Burks Covid Officer...... Dr. Gavin Richardson Scene Shop Crew...... MJ McGavin, Katie Devers, Mary Hardy, Jacob Beals What We Fall in Love with When We Fall in Love Dr. Gavin Richardson Note: The following essay contains spoilers.

In 1981, Raymond Carver wrote the devastating short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” In the story, two couples drink way too much gin and explore the variet- ies of love—the sweet, the vulgar, and the violent. In the end, they all sit in a dark room, glasses empty, with bruised hearts palpably beating. Fortunately, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is far more festive than a Carver short story; nevertheless, the Renaissance playwright seems to be working out within the framework of his last, great comedy that most basic of hu- man questions: What do we fall in love with when we fall in love? Is it physical attractiveness? The gift of communication? A soulmate for completion? Or do we fall in love simply with the improbable prospect that someone might love us?

The intricately woven plot of Twelfth Night poses as many questions as it answers. Readers can find plenty of summaries of the play, but for our purposes, this précis shall suffice. A young woman, Viola, is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria and immediately resolves to disguise herself as a man (“Ce- sario”) and take a position as courtier to the Duke Orsino. For his part, Orsino is one lovesick puppy, pining away for the love of the Countess Olivia. Such love gives us the play’s famous opening lines: “If music be the food of love, play on; / Give me excess of it . . .” Audiences often misinterpret these lines, believing Orsino to be reveling in love’s hedonistic splendor. But Orsino’s desire has a more melancholy end. Just as someone can get sick from consuming too much of a delicacy, Orsino wishes to be so glutted on the food of love that he no longer craves it. Why? Because his unrequited love for Olivia is a source of great pain. Orsino is the moody Emo King, half in love with love itself. Olivia is the ostensible target for his love, but she intuits that what Orsino desires is some abstraction of her love and not she herself. She wisely keeps him at arm’s length, sending emissary after emissary packing.

As for Olivia, in some ways she is a Renaissance Kar- dashian—a great beauty thoroughly accustomed to the obse- quious flattery of men who want access to her person and her purse. To Olivia, Orsino’s overtures are just more of the same. Only when the proxy wooer Cesario (Viola) explodes love’s conventions with unaccustomed sincerity does Olivia take notice. Shakespeare implies that only a woman really knows how a woman wishes to be wooed, and when Cesario tells Olivia how he would woo her if he were allowed free rein (he would “Halloo [her] name to the reverberate hills . . .”), Olivia is smitten. But what is Olivia falling for here? Cesario’s androgynous beauty? Or the fact that someone, finally, has broken through love’s tired clichés to reach her very heart? The Kardashian comparisons end here. Olivia is not a vapid, silly woman. When she removes her veil to show her fabled beau- ty, she cynically comments, “[W]e will draw the curtain and show you the picture. Look you, sir, such a one I was this pres- ent. Is ‘t not well done?” (1.5.233-235). It might be tempting to read this statement as simple vanity from a woman who’s hot and knows it. But that would be a mistake. This is the language of a woman who has grown accustomed to the objectifying male gaze and who is all too aware of the patriarchal values that render a woman a possession, like a painting to be ac- quired and hung on a wall in a Duke’s den. Cesario’s personal indifference to Olivia’s beauty must seem both a challenge and a relief. Is this what Olivia falls in love with? The fact that, finally, someone sees her as a human being to be loved, not an object to be acquired or bedded?

Olivia’s breathless response to Cesario and her indifference to Orsino reveals that there is something wrong with his affection for Olivia—a disordered affection that is paradoxically correct- ed when Cesario comes into his employ. Orsino seems intu- itively drawn to the woman within, describing Viola/Cesario thus: Diana’s lip Is not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe Is as the maiden’s organ, shrill and sound, And all is semblative a woman’s part. (1.4.31-34)

The fact that Viola has taken the outward form of a man un- doubtedly inspires some romantic confusion in Orsino, if not panic. But just as Viola awakens something in Olivia, she does the same to Orsino. There is a kind of perceptual chiasmus at work here. At the play’s outset, Orsino is caught up in the externals of love and cannot see into the real thing, but when Viola comes into his life, he somehow responds intuitively to the real thing despite some pretty convincing externals. In- stead of a melancholy love for love itself, which is ultimately a kind of narcissism, Orsino has his affections directed outward to something close and real—a living woman with a beating heart. When Cesario is revealed to be Viola at the play’s con- clusion, we might say that Orsino’s metamorphosis is com- plete as well. And what about Viola? Much of her action has its motivation partially occluded. We may rightly wonder why the ship- wrecked Viola thinks it’s a good idea to cross-dress as Cesario and serve Orsino in the first place. It may be that Viola con- siders herself vulnerable as a single, unprotected woman in strange land. Or perhaps the cross-dressing comedy simply has to happen for the plot, so we aren’t invited to think too much about it. Yet Viola’s obscure motivations may be a touch of verisimilitude. Each of us lives in the prison house of the self. Do we ever really know what motivates someone else’s love? Still, we may be forgiven for wondering exactly what it is about Orsino that sparks Viola’s love. The fact that he is rich and handsome doesn’t hurt his chances. But the noble Viola probably could have any number of landed dandies in her na- tive Messaline. Maybe it’s something in the wounded nature of Orsino himself that draws her in. Viola has suffered much and cannot openly speak her love. Orsino suffers for his love and speaks it early and often, but to deaf ears. The longing to speak and to be heard become almost too much to bear as Viola/Ce- sario tells Orsino the story of a “sister,” who

never told her love, But let concealment, like a worm i’ th’ bud, Feed on her damask cheek. She pined in thought, And with a green and yellow melancholy She sat like Patience on a monument, Smiling at grief. (2.4.110-115)

Clearly the “sister” is Viola herself, culturally forbidden as a woman to be the wooer in love, who must wait mute in Orsi- no’s presence for his love to be awakened and for the “whirl- igig of time” to bring them together. Of such suffering Viola asks, “Was not this love indeed?”

Even the subplot of Twelfth Night takes up the question of love’s motivation, and we may even choose to speculate on what catalyzes Malvolio’s love, if it is even love at all. It’s dif- ficult to feel much sympathy for Malvolio. His judgmentalism and social climbing make his desire for Olivia seem a means to an end, a way to become master of the house and not just a fellow servant, affording him the opportunity to lord his power over the profligates who currently waste his mistress’s estate. Such is the dominant reading and one that enables us to enjoy his later discomfiture. However, Tamsin Greig, who played a gender-switched Malvolia in a 2017 production at London’s National Theater, has spoken persuasively of Malvolio’s “pop- corn love.” Just as a little heat can cause a popcorn kernel to burst open and completely transform itself, Malvolio’s de- meanor and dress undergo a thorough metamorphosis when the heat of love is applied. What causes the tightly-wound Malvolio to explode into yellow-stockinged splendor? Accord- ing to Greig, it’s the simple possibility that someone—any- one—could actually love him. In 1927 Ira Gershwin penned the lyrics “‘S wonderful! ‘S marvelous! [That] You should care for me.” In a sense, Gershwin was singing Malvolio’s song. Perhaps such a reading is too kind to the ill-wishing Malvo- lio. Grieg’s reading seems to run counter to Maria’s insistence that Malvolio believes that “all that look on him love him” (2.3.152). But Maria’s contempt for Malvolio renders her an unreliable narrator, and love in her speech might be more akin to esteem and not romantic love. At the play’s conclusion, Olivia shows a modicum of sympathy for Malvolio, acknowl- edging that he has been “most notoriously abused.” Union University’s production keeps the mood light, with Malvolio remaining an unsympathetic killjoy to the very end. We’re only too happy to laugh him off the stage. But other produc- tions take different approaches. In the legendary 2002 all-male Globe production of the play, before speaking of Malvolio’s abuse, Mark Rylance’s Olivia waits long in silence after Mal- volio exits the stage. It is an uncomfortable pause in the midst of comic resolution, prompting the audience to consider that, for all his faults, perhaps even Malvolio is not unworthy of love. If such love were allowed to take root and grow, Malvo- lio might have been a different man.

Perhaps the most problematic love match in Twelfth Night is that of Olivia and Sebastian. When Olivia weds Sebastian, she thinks she is marrying Cesario. As for Sebastian, he is shocked to find himself suddenly proposed to by a beautiful and wealthy woman. It’s all so disorienting that it leaves Sebastian wondering if he can trust his senses at all:

This is the air; that is the glorious sun; This pearl she gave me, I do feel’t and see’t; And though ‘tis wonder that enwraps me thus, Yet ‘tis not madness. (4.3.1-4)

‘S wonderful, indeed. Perhaps for a man who had nearly drowned days earlier, it’s wise not to ask too many questions of the universe when such a gift literally falls into his lap. But do we feel bad that Olivia is duped into marrying Viola’s lookalike twin? After all, what she fell in love with in Cesa- rio seems to have been the force of “his” character, and that character belongs to Viola. Perhaps Shakespeare wants us to accept the classist notion that good breeding and manners would obtain in both highborn siblings, and therefore what- ever character elements Olivia fell in love with would also manifest in Sebastian. And if contemporary audiences can accept incredibly artificial pairings on contemporary “reality” shows such as The Bachelor, 90 Day Fiancé, and Love Is Blind, then maybe we shouldn’t judge Renaissance audiences too harshly for their willful suspension of disbelief at Olivia’s o’er- hasty marriage. Of course, Olivia’s marriage to Sebastian is a necessity for a heteronormative comic resolution to the play. It is due to Shakespeare’s sleight of hand that we aren’t allowed to dwell too much on the logical and ethical dimensions of Olivia’s marriage, much in the same way that in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we don’t really care that Demetrius’s eyes are left enchanted by a love potion that is left uncorrected so that he might end up with his former paramour Helen. The genre of Renaissance comedy demands that in the end, “Jack shall have Jill; / Nought shall go ill; / The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well” (MND 3.2.461-3).

But is all well that ends well? How does Olivia feel when she finds out that she didn’t marry the person she thought she did? From Olivia we simply get that most Gershwin-like of exclamations, “Most wonderful!” How are we to parse these two words? The foregoing events have indeed left her (and us) full of wonder. Like the quickening statue of Hermione at the end of The Winter’s Tale, the metamorphosis of “Cesario” into Viola and Sebastian seems a kind of miracle. Olivia’s response implies that she is shocked, but she does not seem at all dis- traught to learn that Sebastian had taken Cesario’s place at the altar. Mark Rylance was surprised to hear London audiences erupt in peals of laughter at Olivia’s “Most wonderful!” Maybe Olivia’s response is all the more comic for its incongruity; such a statement hardly seems commensurate to the revelation. But what statement could be? Eventually, Rylance began to invest the line with even greater comic resonance, ultimately arriving at a thirsty delivery implying that a repressed Olivia is thrilled to find another person identical to one who had so fiercely awakened her libido. It’s raining men in Illyria. Sort of. Rylance’s delivery almost makes us forget that Olivia has been hoodwinked into marrying a stranger. Almost.

Ultimately, Olivia’s “Most Wonderful!” may be the simplest and truest explanation of love in the play, and of love in gener- al. Love is wonderful—not just in its hearts-and-flowers roman- tic dimension, but in its miraculous ability to cause people to explode like popcorn, to violate cultural norms of class and gender, to make grave men foolish and fools seem wise. What do we fall in love with when we fall in love in Twelfth Night? I’m not sure Shakespeare gives us any definitive answers. But after four hundred years, audiences still fall in love with this play, proving that we never tire of the question. BIOGRAPHIES Sullivan Hogan is a senior Theatre and Digital Media Communications major at Union University. Her previous roles at Union include Nora in A Doll’s House, Essie in You Can’t Take it With You, and Nurse Kelly, in Harvey. Sullivan would like to thank her family, her friends, and above all God for supporting her and guiding her through her time at Union. Meagan Jaeger is a Communications Studies Major at Union University and is excited to perform in one of her favorite Shakespeare plays. She has limited theater experience and is thrilled to debut on the Union Uni- versity stage. She would like to thank her family and friends for encourag- ing her to pursue theater, and God for making it possible. Takiya Briton is a junior political science major from Eldorado, IL. She loves being involved with Union the- atre because it gives her the chance to bring to life the mind of amazing playwrights. This is her second pro- duction on the Union stage and she couldn’t be more excited. Besides theatre, Takiya is passionate about debate, her sorority, and anything that deals with animals. Kathryn Pinkston is a sophomore communication studies major. She plays the role of Olivia in this par- ticular play and has helped with backstage and set in previous Union productions. She is very grateful for the hope and encouragement dis- played by the cast as well as the hard work that many have put in to make this play possible. Caroline Adcock is a junior Psy- chology major/Theatre minor who is thrilled to be part of another Union Theatre production! She could last be found on the stage as Penny in You Can’t Take it With You (2020) and as Kate in Brigadoon (2019). Caroline would like to thank the cast and crew of this wonderful show as well her friends and family who have helped her keep the small bit of sanity she started the semester with. More than anything, she is thankful for The Lord and the strength He gives her every

Mylie “Mo” Sparks, a freshman at UU, hails from the beautiful moun- tains of Western NC. Her love for theatre began at 6 yrs old when she was cast as Sandy in Annie at her hometown community theatre, and since then has performed in nu- merous productions. She enjoys all aspects of theatre, from acting to set design, and is especially excited to be performing as Maria in her first UU play. Mo loves volleyball, any outside adventure, smiling, and Jesus. She is majoring in Social Work. She is grateful to Professor Klonowski and the theatre department for this incredible opportunity! Ben Murray is honored to be back for another production with Union Uni- versity with this production of Twelfth Night. This is his second production with Union, having prior appeared in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House as Dr. Rank last fall. He is a sophomore sociology major with a bio minor. He would like to thank the cast, crew, and faculty involved for making this production happen and hopes you enjoy the show. Micaiah Rogers is a college freshman at Union University where he is ma- joring in Christian Studies to become a pastor. He has enjoyed acting ever since high school where he played as Captain Keller, Tom Wingfield, and Clown 2 in The Miracle Worker, The Glass Menagerie, and The 39 Steps respectively. He is thankful of the di- rector, cast, and crew that have made this production possible, and hopes to continue acting with them. Jacob Beals is a Senior Theater Major who is no stranger to the stage. Some of his favorite roles have been: Tor- vald Helmer, A Doll’s House, Pro- metheus, Prometheus Bound, Rosen- crantz Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. “Malvolio has been quite a unique charachter for me. I hope you all enjoy seeing this charachter as much as I enjoyed creating him.” Jake would like to thank Prof. Klonowski for the oppurtunity and the Lord for the priv- eledge to be with such an amazing cast! Alfred Custer is an assistant profes- sor in the UU College of Pharmacy. While he has acted in numerous pro- ductions through the Jackson Theatre Guild including It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, Noises Off, Hello Dolly, and Mamma Mia, this is his first show at Union and his first attempt at Shakespeare. In addi- tion to God, Alfred would like to thank his dogs for permitting his demanding rehearsal schedule and buffet restaurants for permitting his patronage despite losing money each time he visits. Gavin Richardson returns to the Shakespearean stage after playing Egeus in Union’s 2016 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Dr. Richardson has taught classical and medieval courses at Union for over 20 years, with more than an occa- sional foray into Shakespeare. He is always eager to gain performance insight into Shakespearean drama, with the benefit of richer discussions and greater “street cred” in the classroom. Jonathan Cooper is a senior theo- logical studies major. Although not a theatre major or minor, he has thor- oughly enjoyed performing in Union University’s productions of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2018), Sherlock Holmes (2018), Brigadoon (2019), and You Can’t Take it With You (2020). He is also a member of Alpha Psi Omega and Second Act Theatre Company. He would like to thank Professor Klonowski for the opportunity to participate in Union’s theatre department, and his amazing friends in the cast and crew! Isabella Gray is a junior communi- cation studies major from Selmer, TN and has been involved in theater since 2012. Her first performance at Union University was in Prometheus Bound as a chorus member, and her most recent role was Rheba in You Can’t Take It With You. Feste is her very first Shakespearean role, and she is so excited to be able to help transport the audience back in time for a proper Elizabethan theatre experience. She would like to thank her director Professor K for the honor of being a part of this fantastical show and to thank the audience for coming out to see it! God bless! Joey Echeverria is so excited to re- turn to the Union stage once more! A Senior Digital Media Communication major, Joey has been performing on stage for over 15 years. Past roles at Union include Alfred in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and most recently Tony Kirby in You Can’t Take It With You. He would like to thank his family back home for always supporting him, the cast and crew of Twelfth Night for all their hard work, and his room- mates for letting him spout Shakespearean quotes every day Luke Mills is a Film Studies major at Union University from Ringgold, Georgia. He was in other plays such as Uncle Phil, The Nerd, Alice in Wonderland, etc. His favorite hobby currently is to longboard. He would like to thank God, his parents, and friends for believing in him. Chase Piner is a freshman undecided major at Union University. His pre- vious roles include Assassin in Mac- beth, Nym in Henry 5, and Verges in Much Ado About Nothing. Chase would like to thank his family, his friend, his SAE brothers, and to every- one who worked on the play because it was a blast to work with such won- derful people.

Charis Murrey is a Junior Biology major and Theater minor at Union University. She previously played Helen, the maid, in “A Doll’s House”. Before Union, she played the White Witch in Narnia, Anne Frank in “The Window” by Dr. Collins, and did Children’s theatre. She would like to thank her friends and family for com- ing and hopes they enjoy the show.

Sarah Blevins is a Senior English major who stepped into the theatre her freshman year and decided not to leave. She has done backstage and technical work on various shows here at Union and has also acted in a few Alpha Psi Omega productions. She would like to thank Professor Klo- nowski for the opportunity to both stage manage and act, the cast and crew for being fantastic to work with, and her friends and family for their support. Most importantly, she would like to thank God for His infinite grace. Enjoy the show! Mary Hardy is a sophomore theatre minor at Union University. This is her first pro- duction with the university. Previously she has been in Grease, Romeo and Juliet, and Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson. Mary would like to thank her parents and broth- ers for pushing her to do new and great things.

THANK YOU! Dub Oliver John Netland Bryan Carrier Hunter Baker Stephen Hopper UU Communications Ashley Blair Nicole Snover Crista Wilhite Steve Beverly Rachel Mihalko Kristin Klonowski Sabrina Warren & All the Opera folks A Message from the Director “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.” - Jacques in As You Like It

Infamous words from the mighty pen of William Shakespeare. No doubt, the first two lines are renown, but the next 3 not so much. And though this speech comes from another of Shakespeare’s plays, they are the lines that I have honed in on as I contemplated the themes inherent in this production of Twelfth Night. The theme of duplicity or dual identities reoc- curs constantly throughout this play.

First this theme is expressed in the title, Twelfth Night, which was the final night of celebration after Christmas. Traditional- ly, this celebration would be at a heightened state of revelry, as someone from the lower classes would be selected to act as the “Lord of Misrule” over the Masque. One characteristic of the event is that guests would disguise themselves as an oppo- site of their identity or role. Men would dress as women and vice versa. Lords would dress as peasants. Life was expected to return to normal the following day, and everyone would transform back into their true selves.

Shakespeare illustrates this theme of duplicity in several ways during the course of this play. Almost every character has something about them that relates to this theme. Viola as- sumes the role of a man in order to gain service to the Duke. Orsino, the powerful and commanding Duke, is reduced to a love struck peasant to Olivia. Maria, the handmaid to Oliv- ia, elevates herself when her master is not around. Malvolio, steward to Olivia, lives out his fantasy of being husband to Olivia though he has been duped by her household. There are many more examples of this theme of duplicity, but I chal- lenge you, the audience, to discover more.

Before I close this message, I want to relate this to us as the spectators. Especially as it pertains to those last three lines of the speech above. We all have a multitude of roles or parts we play. Sometimes we are both friend and co-worker, or father and son, or mother and daughter. Sometimes we transform ourselves based on the situation or context we find ourselves. But each one of us has a true identity. One that has been implanted in us from our Creator. Unfortunately, in this fallen world, we struggle with our identities. There is a constant ten- sion between the old man and the new creation in Christ. Finally, it has been a tremendous privilege and joy to work on this production with an amazing cast and crew. Each individ- ual has spent countless hours and energy to present this gift to our audience and community. Our hope is that this play will be a gift and blessing to all who partake.

Sincerely,

John Klonowski