A Community Shakespeare Company Edition of Twelfth Night: Original Verse Adaptation by Richard Carter

By Richard Carter

Community Shakespeare Company Editions make Shakespeares plans instantly accessible to everyone, from children through Shakespeare-shy adults. These unique performance scripts, developed in a youth theater company, inspire student actors and captivate their audiences. Award-winning playwright Richard Carter delivers the best of the Bard in original verse adaptation. CSC Editions represent a dynamic model that can be used in schools, clubs, camps, and communities worldwide. With nearly thirty years experience working with young people, Carter is Artistic Director of the Community Shakespeare Company*. Its mission: to enrich young lives and cultivate community, with theater as the means and Shakespeare the inspiration.
*(www.communityshakespeare.org)

This is to recommend Richard Carter with a full heart. We have enthusiastically shared many ideals and passions, especially for theatre by, with, and for youngsters.
Lenka Peterson OConnor, author Kids Take the Stage (Backstage Books)

I take my theatre very seriously, and I know what I am talking about when I say that we are indeed blessed to have Community Shakespeare in our midst. Kenneth W. Jenks: Director Emeritus, University of Utah Playwriting Program

Having taught all over the world, I can imagine how excited teachers would be to have the opportunity to introduce a Shakespeare play to their students, knowing they would be able to grasp meaning, and still retain the Shakespearian experience.
Ann H. Goss, Retired International School Teacher

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462035311

Richard Carter

Richard Carter, MFA, is Co-Founder & Director of the Community Shakespeare Company for young actors. His award-winning plays have been produced from Seattle to London. His verse adaptations of classic literature motivate and enchant actors and audiences, pre-school through adult. Richard lives with his family on an island in Washington State.

Book preview

Twelfth Night

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Original verse adaptation by

Richard Carter

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

A Community Shakespeare Company Edition of Twelfth Night

Original verse adaptation by Richard Carter

Copyright © 2011 Richard Carter

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-3530-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3531-1 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 8/1/2011

Contents

Notes About Production

Synopsis of the play

About the Songs in the Play

Cast of Characters

ACT I, Scene 1

ACT I, Scene 2

ACT I, Scene 3

ACT I, Scene 4

ACT I, Scene 5

ACT II, Scene 1

ACT II, Scene 2

ACT II, Scene 3

ACT II, Scene 4

ACT II, Scene 5

ACT III, Scene 1

ACT III, Scene 2

ACT III, Scene 3

ACT III, Scene 4

ACT IV, Scene 1

ACT IV, Scene 2

ACT IV, Scene 3

ACT V, Scene 1

About the Author –

Richard Carter

Notes About Production

The author asks that anyone planning to stage one of his adaptations please contact him for permission, via the CSC website: www.communityshakespeare.org. There are no performance royalties due. He asks that scripts be purchased for every member of a cast.

Frequently asked questions include, What if my group is mostly girls? Cross-casting (females playing male roles) is almost inevitable; once it is explained that males played all the female roles in Shakespeare’s time, this obstacle is easily overcome. Moreover, girls see that many of the big parts are male, so those wanting more stage time gravitate toward male roles. The author also encourages groups to take certain liberties, such as changing the sex of some roles. With little alteration of the text, a duke may become a duchess, an uncle may become an aunt.

In answer to the question, What if I have too many (or too few) students? some parts may be divided amongst several actors (a messenger becomes two messengers), or actors may take on more than one role. In short, do what is necessary to make the play fun and accessible for young people; the author did!

Synopsis of the play

Orsino, Duke of Illyria, is in love with Olivia, a proud and beautiful countess. She spurns his suit, being in mourning for her late father and brother.

A shipwreck lands Viola and Sebastian – twin brother and sister – on different parts of the Illyrian coast. Each believes the other is dead. Viola asks her sailor companions to disguise her as an eunuch, so that she may travel unknown. Arriving at Orsino’s court, she immediately becomes his confidante. Dressed in man’s attire (based on her brother’s), she becomes the youth, Cesario.

At Olivia’s, Sir Toby Belch (Olivia’s uncle) has a questionable influence on his niece’s household. He comes in late, too often drunk, and invites a foolish knight (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) to woo Olivia and join in his revels. Olivia’s servants, Maria, Fabian, and the jester Feste round out this boisterous household.

Their foil is Olivia’s steward, Malvolio, who has little patience for drunkards and fools. He is sick of self-love, and the others can’t resist playing a trick on him. Maria concocts a phony love letter that Malvolio finds and believes was written to him by Olivia. He follows its instructions, appearing in ridiculous attire and acting madly before his bewildered mistress.

Meanwhile, Viola’s twin brother, Sesbastian, surfaces in Illlyria, befriended by the brave Antonio, a soldier of fortune. Like his sister, Sebastian makes for Orsino’s court, and Antonio is compelled to follow him, even at