This July, PMA Professor David Feldshuh presented a reading of his new adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Set in the years between the First World War and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the adaptation features five Shakespeare songs and music of the 1920s, performed by a cast of twenty-five, including a ten-member singing chorus, three dancers, and an onstage professional jazz musician. Feldshuh is developing the adaptation for Cornell PMA's production this fall, which he will also direct.
A professional theater renowned for developing and producing new work, the Illusion Theater hosted the reading as part of the script development process. Feldshuh has previously directed productions at the theater, including Orlando, Spring Awakening, and The Einstein Project, and the theater has also staged his plays Miss Evers' Boys and Dancing with Giants.
In announcing the reading, the Illusion Theater reflected on its long-standing collaboration with Feldshuh:
"Along with all of these awesome developments, the ILLUSION lent a hand to a long-time friend! We had the privilege of hosting a reading of David Feldshuh's new adaptation of Twelfth Night ahead of him directing the piece at Cornell University this fall. It was such a wonderful experience to get all these talented artists in one room together and listen to some Shakespeare!"
Cornell audiences can see Feldshuh's adaptation of Twelfth Night this fall in the Kiplinger Theatre at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts:
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Adapted and directed by Professor David Feldshuh
Friday, October 23, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 31, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Free tickets are available at https://pma.cornell.edu/tickets
