MHS Presents: Twelfth Night

Travel to the distant shores of Illyria and discover what happens when a classic tale of mistaken identity and self-discovery is re-told with contemporary flair.

The MHS Theater Ensemble will present a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in three upcoming performances: 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 6; 7 p.m. on Friday, March 7; and 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. All shows take place in the Woods Theater of the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the Miss Hall’s School campus.

General admission is $10, and reservations are recommended. Senior citizen and handicapped-accessible seating are available. (After 4 p.m. on March 6 and through March 8, call 413-395-7023 to reserve tickets.)

Conceived by Shaina Taub and Kwame Kwei-Armah and named one of the best theatrical productions of 2018, this updated re-telling of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy follows Viola, separated from her twin, Sebastian, by a shipwreck that deposits her in Illyria. Disguised as the pageboy Cesario to become Duke Orsino’s servant, Viola instead falls for Orsino, who’s already in love with Countess Olivia, who, meanwhile, falls for Cesario — and the story is off and running.

This MHS production features Avah DeBenedetto ’27 as Viola, Fiona Gordon ’26 as Countess Olivia, Indigo Travis ’27 as Duke Orsino, Willa Dowling-Paul ’25 as Malvolio, Olivia’s steward, and Anna White ’27 as Sebastian. Kaja Knezevic ’27 and Izzy Stewart ’28 are Olivia’s servants Maria, and Fabian, while Matilda Heaton Wellenstein ’27 is Feste, the jester.

The production also stars EA Peña ’25 as Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, Alfie Su ’28 as Sir Toby’s friend, Sir Andrew, and Linnea Keiser-Clark ’27 as Antonio, a ship captain and friend to Sebastian. The ensemble features Jaime Corpuz ’26, Maddie Craig ’26, Romee He ’27, Eleanor Jacobsen ’27, Maddie Minkler ’28, Ava Lawson ’28, Sophie O’Brien ’27, Myles Patton ’27, Tina Pham ’25, Rafa Romanini ’26, Vale Romero ’25, Sonia Rundle ’27, and Linée Weiner ’28.

The musical’s technical crew includes Stage Managers Kara Kisselbrock ’26 overseeing the front of the house, and Izzy Aponte ’26 and Kat Lunden ’25 overseeing backstage. Suki Kam ’26, Alice Kwiatkowski ’25, Vivian Marchetti ’28, Charlie Stokes ’27, Shayna Tarr ’27, and Vivian Yang ’25 assist with costumes and props, while Julia Tocchio ’25 is the Light Board Operator.

The performance is directed by Jennifer Jordan, MHS Director of Theater and Dance, who also choreographed the show, with assistance from Emilie Coziol-Desy ’25 and Hyeon Jung ’26.