The Department of Performing and Media Arts presents:

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Adapted and Directed by David Feldshuh
 

Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts
430 College Avenue, Ithaca, NY

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. & 7:30 p.m.

The vision of the Department of Performing and Media Arts is to nurture and mentor artists, performers, writers, and thinkers through the process of event programming. We recognize that all people should see their stories represented, and envision their stories as valuable. We commit ourselves to creating spaces that actively seek to break down systems of oppression based on race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and place of origin and empower all to be involved. We seek to stimulate thoughtful discussion and enact social change within our productions and our audiences. It is our goal to make our events accessible to the wider Cornell and Ithaca community, to strengthen bonds and engage inquiry, dialogue, and impact around social and cultural expression. 

In the 2026-2027 academic year we will help realize a wide range of students’ creative projects, from original plays, to solo performances, to readings, to choreographies, to acting, directorial, and curatorial projects. We are particularly happy that in addition to supporting live performances, we are now also supporting the production of student films. Enjoy the shows!

In Shakespeare’s masterful comedy, Twelfth Night, music isn’t the only “food of love.” In fact, it’s as if the very air of Illyria feeds unbridled passion of one kind or another. 

In this production the fictional land of Illyria is a dreamscape inspired by the surrealist painter, Rene Magritte, whose famous work, The Lovers, depicts a couple kissing, their faces shrouded in cloth. Similarly, in Illyria identity is obscured and unstable, impulse is the rule of law, and passion can be dangerous. 

Like all good comedies, there is something serious at the heart of Twelfth Night. The title refers to the last night of Christmas; a night associated with revelry, role-reversal and feasting, all of which underpin the play’s structure. Such wild abandon makes for plenty of fun, “but Illyria is also haunted by war, the blind optimism of the 1920s Jazz Age, and darker forces are at work,” notes faculty director, David Feldshuh. "Twelfth Night is a complex comedy: practical jokes become cruel; humiliation becomes a weapon; and fear is real.” 

Perhaps it is Twelfth Night’s ability to reflect our humanity with humor, passion and danger that has helped it endure as one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies for over 400 years. “Exploring this extraordinary play with dedicated, Cornell students in collaboration with professional theatre artists has been a rich, dramatic adventure,” Feldshuh notes. Welcome to Illyria. We are excited to share that adventure with you. 

Dr. Aoise Stratford, Dramaturg

Ava Alvarez '27 (Balladeer)
Agricultural Sciences major; Theatre and Viticulture & Enology minor

Ava is thrilled to be a part of Twelfth Night! She has been passionate about theatre since age 7, having appeared in over 35 different productions. Favorite roles include Little Sally (Urinetown), Sarah (Company), and Madame Thénardier (Les Misérables). She thanks her family and friends for their love and support. Break a leg to the cast and crew!

Aaditya Bahl (Malvolio)

Michael J. Carbone (Musician)

MICHAEL J. CARBONE, a native of Utica, New York moved to the Binghamton area in 1981. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the Crane School of Music and a master’s in music performance from Binghamton University. Mike was also an instrumental music teacher for thirty-four years in the Johnson City School district where he was also Coordinator of Music for the JC School District during the latter years of his public-school career. He also served as the Director of the Jazz Studies Program and Harpur Jazz Ensemble for twenty-five years. Mike has performed as a sideman for many well-known artists including Al Marino, Natalie Cole, Tommy Tune, Mel Torme, Chubby Checker, Wayne Newton, The Temptations, Engelbert Humperdinck, Slam Stewart, Dave Samuels, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Al Hamme’s Music Unlimited ensembles, and Bill Carter’s Presbybop Quartet. Previously a board member for the Goodwill Theatre and The Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, Mike also curates, organizes, and hosts the enJOY Jazz Series events held at the Firehouse Stage in Johnson City, NY. Carbone is also an endorser for the Andres Eastman 52nd Street ESS 652 Soprano Saxophone https://www.eastmanwinds.com/michael_carbone and was the music coordinator for the Binghamton July Fest “Jazz and Music Festival” for fourteen years. Currently Mike serves as an adjunct professor of Jazz Saxophone at Cornell University.

Leah Condon '29 (Cloud Dancer)
Psychology and Performing & Media Arts

Leah is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Psychology and Performing & Media Arts. 12th Night is Leah's first time in a play at Cornell, and she is very excited to be continuing her passion for performing with this production! At Cornell, she dances with Rise Dance Group and OnTap, and performs sketch comedy with The Skits. She would like to thank her clubs for supporting her through this rehearsal process and helping her grow as a performer, as well as the cast of 12th Night for making this play so much fun to perform!

Bella Ertel (Balladeer)

David Gilmore '28 (Duke Orsino)
Government and Performing & Media Arts major

David Gilmore is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in Government and Performing & Media Arts. He is thrilled to be acting in his first PMA departmental production, but you may have seen him previously in various student-produced shows or roaming the Schwartz Center at any waking (or slumbering) hour of the day. David would like to thank all of the amazing cast, crew, and designers who have made this truly magical show possible, along with everyone in the audience for supporting the arts in these trying times.

Bixby Piccolo Hill '27 (Captain/Second Officer/Balladeer)
Performing & Media Arts and Psychology major

Jacob Irons '27 (Antonio)
Mathematics and Government major

Jacob is so excited to be in this production of Twelfth Night! At Cornell, he is a co-director of the Whistling Shrimp Improv Comedy Troupe and has acted in Arcadia (Valentine), I Want a Country, A Streetcar Named Desire (Mitch), Rumors (Ken), and eurydice (Orpheus). At home, he has performed with River’s Edge Theatre Co. in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and grew up taking class and performing at TheaterO in Ossining, NY. He wants to thank everyone involved in this humongous, awesome production. Enjoy the show!

Astrid Camille James (Feste)

Cortney "CJ" Johnson (Mariah)

CJ is both an educator and actor at heart; they work at the Center for Teaching Innovation at Cornell University and participate in as much theater as possible. This is their second production with Cornell PMA, previously they appeared in I Want A Country. Other favorite roles include Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Stephano in The Tempest, and Camillo in The Winter’s Tale (Ithaca Shakespeare Company). CJ holds a BA in Theatre Performance from Chapman University and a PhD in Educational Studies from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Much love to CJ’s spouse, Erica, and her mom, Linda, for being such positive supports in her life.

Diana Kharchenko '28 (Balladeer)
Earth & Atmospheric Science major; Theatre minor

Diana is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Earth & Atmospheric Science and Theatre. She is excited to perform in her very first Shakespeare production alongside an incredible cast and with help from an amazing crew. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Hugo Keil (Balladeer)

Matthew Kushner (Sebastian)

Gia Lish '29 (Viola)
English major; Theatre minor

Gia is so grateful to be a member of this incredible cast! She has been performing for twelve years in over two dozen plays and musicals, with some of her favorite roles being Elle in Legally Blonde, Alice in Alice by Heart, and an insane ensemble member in last year's performance of Sweeney Todd with the Melodramatics. A huge thank you to the cast and crew of Twelfth Night for pouring endless hours into this show, break a leg everyone!

Houda Loukssi (Reverend Mother/Balladeer)

Erik Lucas (Sir Toby Belch)

Erik is a Cornell staff member working in Student Services at the Dyson School and is incredibly grateful and excited to be a part of this amazing team. He has worked in local theatre for many years and sits on the board of the Ithaca Shakespeare Company. Some favorite recent roles include Richard, Duke of York (Henry VI), Marc Antony (Julius Caesar), and Roy Cohn (Angels in America). Thank you to David, Alexa, and the rest of the crew for all the hours of hard work and to Moira, Stella, and Isaac for the love and support.

Alexandra Miller (Fabia)

Alex Piotr Miłoszewski '27 (Sir Andrew Aguecheek)
Environment and Sustainability major; Theatre minor

Alex is a senior in E&S with a minor in Theater. Some of his favorite previous roles include Caldwell B. Cladwell (Urinewtown), Kane (Girls!Girls!Girls!), and Peter (Company).

Catherine Mong (Balladeer)

Caroline Murphy '28 (Olivia)
Sociology major; Theatre and Education minor

This is my first show with the Performing and Media Arts department and I am absolutely delighted to be working with such a dedicated and talented group of people. Previously, I have been acting and directing independently and alongside student groups here at Cornell. Last year, I played Martha in CogDog's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and directed two original plays, one of which, Sunset Splatter, was covered in the Cornell Sun. Thank you so much to David Feldshuh for giving me the opportunity to bring such a wonderful character to the stage, and thank you to my friends in this production for making it an unforgettable experience.

Maggie Sandberg '29 (Valentine/Balladeer)
Fashion Design major

Maggie Sandberg is a sophomore studying Fashion Design in the College of Human Ecology. This is her second Cornell PMA production. Previous acting credits include I Want a Country, Footloose, Hiding Place, The Sound of Music, Pride and Prejudice, Kodachrome, and others. She is thrilled to be involved in a show of this scale and caliber and is grateful for the opportunity to work with each cast and crew member.

Darby Lee-Stack (First Officer/Balladeer/Cloud Dancer)

David Feldshuh, Director

David Feldshuh has adapted and directed several projects at Cornell including Antigone (also produced at Center Stage Baltimore), A Christmas Carol (The Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis), Little Woman and The Awakening of Spring. Other plays include Dancing with Giants (Illusion Theater, Minneapolis), and Miss Evers’ Boys (off-Broadway, regional theatres and internationally). Miss Evers’ Boys was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, and as an HBO movie, received five Emmys including Best Picture and the President’s Award for television exploring vital social issues. David is a Professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts and serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Michael J. Carbone, Music Director

Alexa Alfonsi, Stage Manager

Sarah Eckert Bernstein, Costume Design

Sarah Eckert Bernstein is the Resident Costume Designer at the Schwartz Center and Teaching Professor in costume design, costume history, and character design. Some of her recent projects at Cornell include: Dance 2026 Penumbra, I Want a Country (costume and set design), PMA Studios: Milkshake Kiss, Dance 2025 SHED, Orlando’s Gift, Dance 2024: This Table Has Been a House in the Rain, Love and Information, Desdemona, The Family Copoli, HumaNatures, Locally Grown Dance 2023, Haunted Natures/Hidden Environments, Locally Grown Dance 2022, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, LGD 2021, Pipeline/Townhall, LGD 2020, The Next Storm, The Wolves, Spill, LGD 2019, Awakening of Spring, and Mr. Burns. Sarah is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and the Yale School of Drama.

Sarah Lambert, Set Designer

Sarah Lambert (set designer): Previous designs at Cornell include THE NEXT STORM (’19) THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS and THE HISTORY BOYS (‘09), LOVE’S LABORS LOST and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (‘08), and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (‘00). As a set designer and dramaturg, collaborations with writer/director Leigh Fondakowski include SPILL (NYC, Chicago, & Baton Rouge), and THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE (Berkeley Rep, The Guthrie, Perseverance, and ATC/Chicago) as well as multiple workshops of CASA CUSHMAN. Other designs include GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE (NYC, London, Toronto, LA, San Francisco, and Caracas, Venezuela), SPECTATORS AT AN EVENT (Susan Marshall & Co, BAM Next Wave) as well as over 150 other projects. Writing credits include dramaturgy on THE LARAMIE PROJECT (NYC and HBO), as well as co-writing a podcast with Leigh Fondakowski, FEMINIST FILES: THE SECRET ORIGIN OF TITLE IX. She holds a BA from Cornell (’85) and an MFA from Yale (’90). Current projects include A LESSON FROM ALOES (HartBeat Ensemble) and CASA CUSHMAN (Tectonic Theater Project). Full resume and biography can be found on her website (sarahlambertdesign.com)

Warren Cross, Sound Design

Warren Cross is the Resident Sound Designer for the Department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University, and joined the department in 1990. In addition to designing sound for department productions, Warren teaches courses in Sound Design, Post Production, and Interactive Performance Technology. He attended Five Towns College for Music Technology, Manhattan School of Music for Composition, and SUNY Stony Brook for Technical Theatre.

Joey Moro, Lighting Design

Tim Ostrander, Props and Paint Coordinator

Jae Lee, Projections Designer

Crystal Chiu, Lighting Design Assistant

Lisa Boquist, Costume Shop Supervisor

Alfred Bernstein, Technical Director

Savannah Relos, Assistant Technical Director

John McCall, Head Electrician

Robin Guiver, Movement Coach

Robin is an actor and movement specialist, recently relocated to Ithaca, having spent the past 15 years working professionally on stage and screen in the UK. He specialises in screen acting, puppetry and Lecoq based movement techniques. He is thrilled to be working both with the Cornell PMA, and on this new play by David Feldshuh. Robin’s previous theatre includes performing in the original West End cast of War Horse, multiple projects with Complicite, and the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. His work on screen includes Doctor Who, the upcoming Wicked movie adaptations, and numerous award-winning independent shorts. Find out more at www.robinguiver.co.uk

Aoise Stratford, Dramaturg

Aoise serves both as an Advising Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and as a lecturer in Performing and Media Arts where she primarily teaches writing. She has a PhD from Cornell, and an MFA from the University of San Francisco. She has written many plays (and other kinds of stories including short films and fiction), and had her work produced throughout the USA and overseas. Her award-winning play “The Unfortunates” was a Time Out NY Critics Pick and is published by TRW. She also works as a dramaturg, helping other playwrights bring their work to the stage. As a scholar, Aoise has published essays about contemporary theatre, women playwrights, and the Gothic and is currently working on a book about Gothic Television. She regularly teaches First Year Writing seminars and loves working with students. She grew up in Australia and spent six years in California before making the move to Ithaca. She feels very lucky to be working with students in the classroom, in the rehearsal room, and as part of the Advising Team.

Kathleen Mulligan, Voice and Dialect Coach

Kathleen is a professor of voice and speech at Ithaca College. A proud member of Actors Equity, she has performed in productions across the U.S. and internationally. As a Fulbright scholar, Kathleen created the project Voices of Partition, devising original theatre pieces based on interviews with Partition survivors in Pakistan and India.

Andrew Lee Deppen, Production Manager

Randy Hendrickson, Media Assist

Brenton Burness, Assistant Stage Manager

Oscar Killmer, Sound Board Operator

Crystal Chiu, Light Board Operator

Lucille Smith '30, Fly Crew
Performing & Media Arts and Anthropology major

Hi! I’m Lucy, a freshman here at Cornell. I’ve always loved film and theater, so I’m incredibly excited to be part of this production. Even though I’m playing a small role, I’m so grateful to be involved and to have the chance to bring this story to life. I can’t wait for you to see it!

Ben Schifren '30, Fly Crew

Ben is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences from Westchester, New York. His appreciation for the arts originated in piano and saxophone performance, and led him to the theatre in his senior year where he debuted as Fred Casely in Chicago. Ben plans to continue acting at Cornell and would like to thank everyone who made this wonderful production possible.

Marnie Chan, Deck Run Crew

Luke DellaTorre '30, Deck Run Crew
Performing & Media Arts and Chemistry major

Twelfth Night is Luke’s second production at Cornell following this semester’s Festival 24, and his first stage crew credit. Since starting theatre in sixth grade, some of his favorite roles have been Professor Callahan (Legally Blonde), Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance), and Squidward (Spongebob). He also has directorial and choreographic experience from high school productions of Chicago and Mean Girls, something he would love to continue in his time at Cornell. IG: @dellatorre.luke

Cherry Liu '30, Dresser
Fashion Management major

Cherry is a freshman majoring in Fashion Management. She is a dancer with experience performing and choreographing. She started working behind the scenes on theater productions in her sophomore year of high school. This is her first backstage production at Cornell, and she is super excited to contribute to the show as a dresser!

Sonia Kranich, Dresser

Leo Mazur, Rehearsal Pianist

Scene Shop Work Study Students: Benjamin Chinedum Okoronkwo, Chloe Jane Pankratz, Holly Caitlin Bunnage, Katharine Amador Turk

Costume First Hands: Julianna Cross, Venicia Lamy, Mia Sofia Orengo, Maggie Sandberg, Mia Grace Lopez, Camryn Kerr, Farrah Koester, Ajaa-Sungma Sigri-Naah, Muralini Mohan, Songin Ahn

Props & Paint Work Study: Sevara Khojamuratova

1610 Lab Students: Ava Alvarez, Brenton Burness, Ella Johnson

Hannah Langtry

Rina Macaranas

Igor Santos