Twelfth Night, or What You Will, brought to you by the SD Shakespeare Festival

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Pre-show music @ 6pm: "The Queen's Pleasure" & Vending at Prentis Park

Pre-show music on 06/18 @ 6:00 pm: Folk Music Performance by Paul Imholt at Prentis Park

The SDSF is excited to announce we are planning to move forward with a professional production of Twelfth Night, or What You Will, in Vermillion’s Prentis Park, June 17-20, 2021. In light of the COVID-19 environment, the rehearsal and production process will be carefully and responsibly mitigated.

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Executive Artistic Director Chaya Gordon-Bland looks forward to returning to live performances: “In considering our production for this summer, there was an overwhelming consensus within the company that it was important to produce a joyful and uplifting comedy. This has been such a challenging and stressful time in the world. The SDSF wants to bring joy to people’s lives, and help support health, happiness, and healing for our communities through theatre. Twelfth Night is a delightful and uplifting comedy, chock full of music, playful antics, delicious language, and nuanced explorations of human relationships.”

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The play will be directed by Oliver Mayes, who is in the midst of finishing his MFA in Directing at the University of South Dakota. He is excited for his first post-grad school gig: “I am thrilled to be working with the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival. Their commitment to accessibility and engaging with communities is something I deeply admire; I look forward to collaborating on a production of Twelfth Night that is truly a communal experience.”

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Mayes finds special resonance with this play: “Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a play full of invitations. It invites us to examine the power of love and desire, and how that unpredictable power can bring forth conflict for societal constructs such as class and gender roles. That’s intense thinking for a comedy! But William Shakespeare has gifted us with a theatrical experience that beautifully provokes deep thought through laughter and joy.”

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Throughout rehearsals and performances, the SDSF will implement an array of mitigation techniques, including de-densification, distancing, use of masks, and thorough sanitation. The production in the park will take place for a live audience as well as via a streaming platform. The SDSF is also planning safe and responsible arts education programming in collaboration with our various outreach partners. Through our programs, the SDSF strives to improve and expand arts education for K-12 students and increase quality of life for youth and adults throughout southeast South Dakota. In fulfillment of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival’s values of access and inclusion, all programming will be free and open to the public.