BRIAN ISAAC PHILLIPS: STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND – CELEBRATED US THEATRE DIRECTOR BRINGS TWELFTH NIGHT TO PRAGUE & DIVADLO BEZ ZABRADLI

Get ready for a night of laughter, love, and mistaken identities as the Prague Shakespeare Company (PSC), Divadlo Bez Zabradli and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC) bring their hilarious co-production of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, “Twelfth Night,” to Prague with an international tour featuring some of Prague’s and the United States finest actors directed by Brian Isaac Phillips, one of America’s leading stage directors and Artistic Director of CSC.

Twelfth Night played to rave reviews and SOLD OUT audiences in late 20245 at CSC in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. Performed in English with Czech surtitles, and starring well-known Czech actor Karel Heřmánek ml. joined by local PSC favorites Elissa Levitt, Leraldo Anzaldua and Josh Morrison, alongside the exciting CSC actors from American (Jeremy Dubin, Cary Davenport, Candice Handy, Geoffrey Barnes II, Courtney Lucien and Barry Mulholland), this is a performance you do not want to miss.

We had the chance to sit down with Brian Isaac Phillips and talk about the show and the experience.

CZECH LEADERS: This partnership and co-production of Twelfth Night with Prague Shakespeare Company, is the first European tour for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Why this play and now for this special event?
BRIAN ISAAC PHILLIPS: I felt that Twelfth Night was perfect for this partnership because of the different characters being stranded as strangers in a strange land. What makes the play special is the sense of wonder and danger the Viola and Sebastian feel when they wash ashore in Illyria. Many of our cast members are having their first international tour experience with this production, so it felt that art and reality were aligning perfectly. I also have admired Prague Shakespeare Company for many years,so the opportunity to play with this company in this beautiful city was impossible to pass up.

CL: What should audiences expect from Twelfth NIght? Is there a certain house-style for CSC and you as a director?
BIP: Audiences can expect a fantastic mix of the ridiculous and the melancholy. I have always been drawn to the darker side of Shakespeare’s ending and the treatment of Malvolio. It strikes a dark tone at just the moment when most characters are ready to live happily ever after, and this production embraces that. I think that speaks to the house-style of CSC. We enjoy breaking the fourth wall and going for every laugh possible, but we will also emotionally turn on a dime in order to break your heart. I think that’s true to what Shakespeare was doing. He was showing the “mingled yarn” of our lives and our personalities. He wanted his audience to laugh and cry, sometimes in the same instant. CSC is true to that, and I think it can make for some very excitingtheatre.

CL: What extra dimension and added layers of meaning does the production have playing in Prague with an international cast?
BIP: Prague becomes Illyria for this production, and that makes this performance that much more meaningful. With our troupe being visitors, we get to apply that to the journey that our lost twin heroes are embarking on. In the same way our characters come to call Illyria home, we are looking forward to the hospitality of this great city and wonderful artists at Prague Shakespeare as well.

CL: What do you think will surprise audiences most about Twelfth Night at Divadlo Bez Zabradli?
BIP: I’ve always enjoyed using a framing device, or a signature “bookends” device to place Shakespeare plays in the most relevant moment possible. This production is no exception. We open with a bit of a play within a play that puts Shakespeare’s masterpiece in conversation with our current political moment, and maybe some ghosts of the past. I know it is a bit of a surprise, but I believe it makes the production that much more of the moment.

CL: Twelfth Night will be performed in the original English with Czech surtitles, what else should audiences know in advance to enjoy the performance to the fullest?
BIP: I hope nothing! I would like to believe that if we have done our job as artists, the staging will illuminate the plot and the relationships so that the performance could be enjoyed without surtitles if necessary!

CL: Can you tell us about Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and your history with the company.
BIP: Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has been bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for all for over thirty years. We are one of the only professional Shakespeare companies in our region, so we have a large responsibility when it comes to programming for our community, hiring artists from all over the world, and keeping the classics alive for a new generation. We also believe that creating new work and amplifying new voices is important if we are going to stay relevant as a theatre company. CSC is always striving to strike a balance between the best of yesterday and tomorrow, and hiring artists that represent the best of our region and the world. I have been leading Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for the past 22 years, but I started with the company as an actor 26 years ago. I’ve had the joy of watching the company grow from a small start up band of artists into one of Ohio’s essential arts institutions, and that has been a very exciting journey.

Critics Rave About This Hilarious Production “A hilarious and heartwarming production that will leave you in stitches!” – Cincinnati Enquirer “A must-see for Shakespeare fans and anyone who loves a good laugh!” – CityBeat “The cast is superb, the costumes are stunning, and the direction is brilliant!” – Broadway World

Don’t Miss Your Chance to See This Amazing Show! “Twelfth Night” will be performed for ONE NIGHT ONLY on Thursday, February 20th at 7pm at Divadlo Bez Zabradli. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to see this incredible production!

Buy Your Tickets Now!

https://pragueshakespeare.com/12th-night-20-february-with-cincinnati-shakespeare-compa ny.html

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