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Shakespearean magic under the Devonshire Dome
31 August 2007
Experience the magic and wonder of Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s most enchanting and delightful romantic comedies, when it is performed in the spectacular setting of the Devonshire Dome within the campus of the University of Derby, Buxton from Wednesday 24 to Saturday 27 October at 7.30pm.
Twelfth Night is a co-production by Buxton Opera House and The University of Derby, and will be performed by current and postgraduate students of the University’s Theatre Arts Department. This delightful production sees the Dome of the University of Derby Buxton transformed into a unique theatre-in-the-round, with comfortable tiered seating for 600 people. Twelfth Night is the second Opera House and University co-production to be staged inside the Devonshire Dome – the previous collaboration on A Midsummer Nights Dream in October 2005 having been a spectacular sell-out success. A newly-installed, fully-amplified sound system will overcome the unique acoustics of the Dome, (which is acoustically one of the most challenging spaces in the country), and assure good audibility from every seat in the house.
Andrew Aughton, Chief Executive of Buxton Opera House, said: “The co-production of Dream in 2005 was possibly the most exciting project I’ve worked on in my career in theatre, and the ticket sales and audience reaction reflected the same sense of excitement. If Twelfth Night is even half that audience experience, it will be truly wonderful!” Yvonne Hurt, the University’s Theatre Arts course leader, and director of Shakespeare In The Dome in both 2005 and this year, added: “This is possibly the most exciting and important opportunity our students have for public performance, either as undergraduates or postgraduates, and it certainly brings out the very best in them. We have some incredibly skilful young actors taking the course at the University of Derby, and this is the perfect showcase for them.”
Twelfth Night – the traditional end of the Christmas season – has always been a time for revelry and topsy-turvydom, and is the perfect setting for one of Shakespeare’s best-loved romantic comedies. The story of two identical twins separated by a shipwreck, Twelfth Night features several cases of mistaken identity, some badly-aimed Cupid’s arrows, a duke, a noble lady, a quick-witted clown and a dazzling pair of yellow stockings! This lively interpretation, set in a magical wintry landscape, mixes the beauty and humour of the original text with the youthful vitality and energy of the University of Derby’s Theatre Arts Department.
Tickets for Twelfth Night are £14 (discounts available) and are on sale now from Buxton Opera House Box Office on 0845 127 2190 and online at www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk