COVID: We are committed to the safety of audience members, performers, and staff. All audience members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and provide proof of vaccination on arrival. Masks are required inside the theatre. Read more about our COVID-19 protocols and precautions.

I can’t recall ever enjoying a Shakespeare comedy as much as I SO ENJOYED your performance of Twelfth Night. What a marvelous evening! To think that such a large cast was uniformly fabulous … and on opening night! Wow. My students were enthralled as well. Enthralled!

—Patrick Baliani, Audience Member

This Rogue production, directed with a fine eye by the company’s co-founder Cynthia Meier, is fast-paced, crisp, clear, and very, very funny.

—Kathleen Allen, special to the Arizona Daily Star

Being the frothiest of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night comes springing onstage with all the ready-to-have-fun love of an eagerly affectionate golden retriever – larger than life in every respect.

—Chuck Graham, reviewer for TucsonStage.com

Watch the trailer for the Twelfth Night video here.

Supporting Materials

Free Open Talk Video: The Joys, Griefs, and Songs of Twelfth Night

Click here to see the video

Dr. Peter Medine, UA Professor Emeritus of the English Department, shares his deep understanding of the play, and reveals its architectural “bones.”

Click here to read Dr. Medine’s handout that accompanies his presentation.

This open talk is supported in part by a generous gift from Pat & John Danloe

Essay

In Jerry James’ essay, When Clothes Made the Woman, he delves into the history of the boy player during Elizabethan times. Click on the title below to read it.

When Clothes Made the Woman
The Elizabethan Boy Player

Poster

View the full-sized poster for the play

Video Extras

Reviews

Rogue’s Twelfth Night is escapism at its best
Review by Kathleen Allen on November 10, special to the Arizona Daily Star

Love and laughs in the time of Shakespeare
Review of Twelfth Night by Chuck Graham on November 8 at Let The Show Begin! and TucsonStage.com

Cynthia Meier (Director) is Co-Founder and Managing & Associate Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre and holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Arizona. She has directed 38 of The Rogue’s 81 productions to date including The Secret in the Wings, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Galileo, Bach at Leipzig, The White Snake, Hamlet, Waiting for Godot, Betrayal, Naga Mandala, and The Four of Us for which she received Arizona Daily Star Mac Award nominations as Best Director, as well as Arcadia and Richard III for which she won Mac Awards for Direction. Cynthia has created stage adaptations for The Rogue of Thornton Wilder’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Virginia Woolf’s The Lady in the Looking Glass, James Joyce’s The Dead, Kafka’s Metamorphosis, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tales of the Jazz Age, and (along with Holly Griffith) Moby Dick. She is co-founder of Bloodhut Productions, a company performing original monologues and comedy improvisation, which toured throughout the western United States. She also directed The Seagull (featuring Ken Ruta) for Tucson Art Theatre, and she directed Talia Shire in Sister Mendelssohn and Edward Herrmann in Beloved Brahms for Chamber Music Plus Southwest. Cynthia has also been nominated for nine Mac Awards for Best Actress from the Arizona Daily Star, and in 2008, she received the Mac Award for Best Actress for her performance of Stevie in Edward Albee’s The Goat at The Rogue Theatre.

Cynthia Meier’s direction of Twelfth Night is supported in part
by a generous gift from John & Diane Wilson

Notes from the Director

Twelfth Night marks the 81st play we have produced since The Rogue Theatre’s inception in 2005. Even after all of those plays, the joy of discovery in staging a new play (new to us) is still as thrilling. 

Twelfth Night is a comedy in the classic sense—the play ends with multiple marriages instead of a slew of dead bodies on stage as in a tragedy. And while there are many laughs in this comedy, there is a deep strain of melancholy that runs throughout the play. The Duke longs for an unattainable love and his sorrow is reflected in the mournful song, “Come Away Death.” Malvolio’s treatment by the other members of his household borders on cruelty. Antonio’s unrequited love for Sebastian is the source of his downfall. Not everyone is happy at the end of the play. And thus, Shakespeare reminds us in the words of Feste the Clown, “Pleasure will be paid, one time or another.”

I have come to admire each of the characters in Twelfth Night—some for their wit, some for their courage, and all for their vulnerability. All of the “foolish” characters—Malvolio, Olivia, Viola, Orsino, Antonio, and Sir Andrew make a choice to love—beyond all odds or hope of requital. Their choices are courageous and nothing turns out the way they hoped. And we adore them for it.

I have also come to adore our Rogue audience over the years. Your willingness to bring your open hearts and expectant ears to the theatre always moves me. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

As Sebastian says in Act 3, Scene 3:

I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks.

—Cynthia Meier
director@TheRogueTheatre.org

The following program notes are offered by students in the University of Arizona Honors College’s Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing, taught by Patrick Baliani

Program Notes

by Isabella Anghel, Mireya Borgen, Erin Broas, Gaby Gubka, Z Nava, Daisy O’Sullivan, Nicholas Owen, and Ethan Snapp

Take a moment to picture a world free from the governance of gender stereotypes. Twelfth Night shows you that world.

English playwright Ben Johnson famously described Shakespeare as, “not of an age, but for all time.” Twelfth Night, a classic comedy that puts gendered performances on display, is emblematic of the timeless nature of Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare’s classic devices of deception and disguise blur the lines between genders and sexualities and encourage viewers to question whether such lines truly exist.

Shakespeare penned Twelfth Night in 1601 and it was first performed for Queen Elizabeth’s court in 1602 to mark the end of the Christmas season. The play’s name refers to the twelve days of Christmas, ending with the Epiphany. The festive setting of Twelfth Night lends itself to a literary style called the Carnivalesque. In this style, disparities between characters are diminished which allows anyone, regardless of class or gender, to have equal agency. Shakespeare plays upon the Carnivalesque by mingling characters from upper and lower classes, highlighting that love is not determined by social constructs but instead is an inexplicable attraction. As in the Carnivalesque, this is a world where anything is possible.

Twelfth Nightpredates our contemporary notions of gender. The sex binary—the idea that gender is dichotomous, masculine versus feminine—is a startlingly recent invention. Beginning in the 19th century, our “modern” institutions established an understanding of gender in terms of anatomy; they convinced us that physical differences between males and females drastically separate our minds, our abilities, and our behaviors. Understanding of gender in the Renaissance was more fluid, placing greater emphasis on our actions and behaviors rather than our anatomy. Shakespeare’s Viola—whose feminine physique and perspective bolstered rather than inhibited her performance as a male page—reflects the historic Renaissance notion (and the rising progressive notion) that gender is defined by the way we choose to present ourselves. The qualities she takes on to become Cesario break social convention and surpass the assumed immutable traits of women. Viola shows the audience that these traits are mutable, as her more masculine self attracts the attention of both Olivia and Orsino. Olivia, who thinks she is falling in love with a man, happens to have set her sights on a woman. Orsino finds himself drawn to a man. Is he attracted to Cesario’s femininity or masculinity, or both? Perhaps it does not matter, and the play is clear in saying that gender does not determine sexuality.

Olivia also challenges stereotypical femininity by occupying a position of power that is contextually masculine. Head of her household and beholden to no man, Olivia subverts the traditional roles of men and women in courtship; she functions as the assertive pursuant in love rather than the powerless pursued. These characters reveal that gender is multiplicitous, not dichotomous, and more dynamic than anatomy would suggest.

The Renaissance construction of gender as fluid also applies to sexuality. The heteronormative world is relatively new, with the term ‘heterosexuality’ first appearing in the mainstream in 1930. Before then, as articulated by Jonathan Ned Katz, sexual fluidity was viewed as a “rather unremarkable aspect of human possibility.” In this thinking, Olivia, Orsino, and Antonio’s attraction to Viola and Sebastian requires no explanation, no pigeonholing into a gendered category of love. As in the real world, the Shakespearean characters surpass their circumstance—be it gender, class, or sexuality.

Twelfth Night not only champions that gender is learned, but class is too. Feste, the fool, jests Olivia for a living—a seemingly meager role. However, Feste quickly proves to the audience that he is highly intelligent, making us wonder, “Does intelligence really determine class status?” After meeting the drunk Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, it becomes clear that it does not. Society would have it that two men worthy of a title demanding respect would surpass Feste in terms of cunning and wit, though Sir Toby and Sir Andrew lack both and exist as the real fools in the story.

Twelfth Night may not give explicit answers to the questions it forces one to consider, but the ambiguity behind Shakespeare’s language allows one to sink into the play’s imaginary world. Shakespeare crafted a story that urges one to reflect on gender stereotypes, expectations, eroticism, and sexually charged language all while enjoying the comedy brought forth by cross dressing and entertaining innuendos.

Click here to read the complete essays

Cast

Zachary Austin (First Officer) is very excited to make his Rogue Theatre debut in this performance of Twelfth Night. Zachary is a graduate of the University of Arizona where he received his degree in Acting in 2020. Some of his past credits include The Pajama Game (Max), Richard III (Clarence), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Panthino), and Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama (Lieutenant Ross).

Zachary Austin’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Paul Winick & Ronda Lustman

Jeffrey Baden (Valentine) is ecstatic to be working with The Rogue again this season. Jeffrey previously performed with The Rogue in As You Like It as Charles the Wrestler and Amiens, A View from the Bridge as Marco, and in Moby Dick as Queequeg. Some of his prior performances were as Leonardo in The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre’s Blood Wedding, Benny in In the Heights, and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet with Shakespeare in the Park. He also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and at Pima Community College.

Jeffrey Baden’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Eloise Gore & Allen Hile

Bryn Booth (Viola) is a graduate of the BFA Acting program at the University of Arizona. She was most recently seen as Edna in The Awakening, Celia in As You Like It, Electra in The Oresteia, Mary Shelley/Elizabeth in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and as Catherine in A View from the Bridge. This is Bryn’s fifth season as a member of the Resident Acting Ensemble with The Rogue where she has performed in Moby Dick, Blithe Spirit, Middletown, The Crucible (for which she was nominated for a Mac Award for Best Actress), The Secret in the Wings, Much Ado About Nothing, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Galileo, King Lear, The Grapes of Wrath, A House of Pomegranates, and Macbeth. In 2018, Bryn played Mag in the Scoundrel & Scamp’s production of Lovers, for which she was nominated for a Mac Award for Best Actress. Other credits include The Love Talker (Scoundrel & Scamp) Romeo & Juliet (Tucson Shakespeare in the Park), and Othello (Arizona Repertory Theatre). She also had the pleasure of understudying with Arizona Theatre Company in Romeo & Juliet and Of Mice and Men. Bryn wants to thank Joe and Cindy for giving her the best job she’s ever had with the most amazing people she’s ever met.

Bryn Booth’s performance is supported in part by generous
gifts from Todd Hansen and Bill & Barb Dantzler

Chelsea Bowdren (Maria) is thrilled to be back working with The Rogue Theatre after last appearing in Immortal Longings quite some time ago. Chelsea received her BFA in Acting from the University of Arizona and performed in Taming of the Shrew, Diary of Anne Frank, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Medea, & Titus Andronicus as a member of Arizona Repertory Theatre. After exploring for a couple years, she’s ecstatic to be back in Tucson and back in theatre. For Archer & Eloise.

Chelsea Bowdren’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Stu Salasche & Els Duvigneau

Danny Fapp (Curio/Second Officer) is thrilled to be joining the Rogue Theatre for the first time with Twelfth Night! Danny has previously appeared in Tucson in The Light Princess (Stone Suitor) and A Chorus Line (Mark), as well as in the Quad Cities in A Green River (Jason). Recently he also assistant directed and acted as a swing for Forever Plaid as it toured around town. Danny is a senior at the University of Arizona and is currently pursuing degrees in Marketing and Creative Writing. He is also the Treasurer of the Charles Darwin Experience, a University-based short form improv team that performs weekly free shows for students and the community alike. It has been his utmost honor to work with such a phenomenal cast and company and he hopes you enjoy the show!

Danny Fapp’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Stu Salasche & Els Duvigneau

Hunter Hnat (Sebastian) is grateful to be in his fourth season as a member of The Rogue Resident Acting Ensemble. You may have seen him in previous Rogue productions as Robert in The Awakening, Le Beau/Sylvius in As You Like It, Brenden in The Weir, Orestes in The Oresteia, Lord Byron/Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Rodolpho in A View from the Bridge, Ray Dooley in The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Flask in Moby Dick, Edmund Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the Mechanic in Middletown, Ezekiel Cheever in The Crucible, Ensemble in The Secret in the Wings, Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Andrea in Galileo, Oswald in King Lear, Steindorff in Bach at Leipzig, and Ensemble for A House of Pomegranates. Other credits include Salomé (Scoundrel & Scamp), U/S in Romeo and Juliet (Arizona Theatre Company), and How the House Burned Down (Live Theatre Workshop). He is a U of A alumnus with his BFA in Musical Theatre, class of 2015. Enjoy the show!

Hunter Hnat’s performance is supported in part by generous gifts
from Carol Mangold and Jann Linn & Richard Pincus

Christopher Johnson (Antonio) first came to The Rogue in 2011 to play Jewel in As I Lay Dying, and now serves as Artistic Associate, General Manager, and Play-Reading Producer. Select acting credits include Joshua in Corpus Christi, Peter in Bug, The Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret (2013 Mac Award Winner – Best Actor, Musical), Doug in Gruesome Playground Injuries, The Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, Alan in Lemon Sky, Betty/Gerry in Cloud 9, Pale in Burn This, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Chicklet in Psycho Beach Party, Thom Pain in Thom Pain (based on nothing), and Prior Walter in The Rogue’s production of Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches (2016 Mac Award Winner – Best Actor, Drama).

Christopher Johnson’s performance is supported in part by
generous gifts from Judie Bronstein & Goggy Davidowitz and an anonymous donor

John Keeney (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) is an interdisciplinary artist, thrilled to be working with The Rogue again. He has previously appeared on stage at The Rogue in As You Like It, Galileo and Much Ado About Nothing, and with The Scoundrel and Scamp in There Is a Happiness that Morning Is, and as music director for Two Plays for Lost Souls. He provided guitar and vocals for The Rogue’s recent production of The Weir.

John Keeney’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Paul Winick & Ronda Lustman

Michael Levin (Sir Toby Blech) is excited to be making his debut on The Rogue stage. Michael taught theatre at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy for 24 years where he directed over two hundred productions including Pippin, The Laramie Project, Richard III, Dead Man Walking, Cabaret, Next to Normal, Love and Information, and The Crucible. Roles include: Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Polonius in Hamlet, Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Second Lord in All’s Well That Ends Well (Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival); Ensemble in Fire on the Water and Albert Dussel in Good at Heart (Cleveland Public Theatre); The Giant in The Heartless Giant (Talespinner Children’s Theatre); Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest and Tom/Phyllis/Leslie in Sylvia (Oak Creek Theatre Company); Alan in God of Carnage (Viola Award for Excellence in Performing Arts) and Yvan in Art (Theatrikos). Michael is in his first year of teaching third grade at Leman Academy of Excellence. He would like to thank Cindy and Joe for leading the charge of putting inspirational people in the room and producing profound rehearsals.

Michael Levin’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Meg & Peter Hovell 

Joseph McGrath (Malvolio) is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama and Co-Founder and Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre. He has recently appeared in The Awakening, As You Like It, The Weir, A View from the Bridge, Moby Dick, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Crucible, The Secret in the Wings, Galileo (2018 Mac Award for Best Actor), and King Lear. He also received the Mac Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Tobias in A Delicate Balance. Joe has toured with John Houseman’s Acting Company and has performed with the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He has been a frequent performer with Ballet Tucson appearing in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and for seventeen years as Herr Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. He has also performed with Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, and Arizona Onstage. Joe owns, with his wife Regina Gagliano, Sonora Theatre Works, which produces theatrical scenery and draperies.

Joseph McGrath’s performance is supported in part by generous gifts
from Kathleen McGrath & Jerry James and Todd Hansen

Steve McKee (Captain/Priest) has appeared at The Rogue in Much Ado About Nothing, The Grapes of Wrath, A House of Pomegranates, Awake and Sing, Measure for Measure, Richard III, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Winter’s Tale. Steve has been fortunate to play several wonderful and diverse roles, from Alan in God of Carnage to Roger DeBris in The Producers. Steve also performs with The Gaslight Theatre as well as Live Theatre Workshop and has been featured in independent and student films. Thank you for supporting the arts!

Steve McKee’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from an anonymous donor

Tyler Page (Feste) is thrilled to be making his debut with The Rogue Theatre this season. Tyler has a BFA in Acting from the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University. Some of Tyler’s other credits include Demetrius (Titus Andronicus) where he was nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Award, Martin Heller (Angels in America: Millennium Approaches), Richard Greatham (Hayfever), Josh (If/Then), Judas (Godspell), Walter Gifford (The Farnsworth Invention), Rev. Crisparckle (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Ed (You Can’t Take It With You), Rev. Fred Phelps (The Laramie Project), Grantiare (Les Misérables), King Arthur (Spamalot), East & Dave (Almost, Maine), and understudied in the OCA’s production of Hedda Gabler. Tyler would like to thank Joe and Cindy for this opportunity and his parents for supporting him as he pursues his passions.

Tyler Page’s performance is supported in part by
a generous gift from Richard & Deborah Apling

Carley Elizabeth Preston (Olivia) was last seen on The Rogue stage as Adele in The Awakening. Now in her third season as a member of The Rogue Theatre’s Resident Acting Ensemble, Carley has also appeared as Rosalind in As You Like It, Valerie in The Weir, Beatrice Carbone in A View from the Bridge, Mrs. Bradman in Blithe Spirit, and as Tituba in The Crucible. Carley received her BFA from the University of Arizona where she was a member of the Arizona Repertory Theatre. Some of her other stage credits include Time Stands Still (Mac Award for Best Actress), Molly Sweeney, Enchanted April, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Live Theatre Workshop), Mrs. Mannerly (Mac Award Nominee for Best Actress), Boston Marriage, By the Bog of Cats, Miracle on 34th Street (Mac Award Nominee for Best Actress), Kimberly Akimbo, and Good People. Carley is also the Diversity Specialist for The Rogue. She would like to thank Kline, Burlato, Nae, Pickles, and MOST importantly the loves of her life, Jerrad “Large Father” McMurrich and their fur babies Loki Björn Hiddleston and Freyja Laveau for supporting her theatre habit!

Carley Elizabeth Preston’s performance is supported in part by generous gifts
from Shawn Burke, Sally Krusing and Cheryl Lockhart

Aaron Shand (Duke Orsino) was last seen on The Rogue stage as Leonce Pontellier in The Awakening. Now in his fourth season as a member of The Rogue Theatre’s Resident Acting Ensemble, Aaron has also appeared as Orlando in As You Like It, Jim in The Weir, Agamemnon in The Oresteia, Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge, Ishmael in Moby Dick, The Cop in Middletown, Hathorne in The Crucible, The Sea Captain in The Secret in the Wings, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, Sagredo in Galileo, Noah Joad in The Grapes of Wrath and Duke of Albany in King Lear. Born and raised in Tucson, he received his B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Arizona, performing for the Arizona Repertory Theatre in Bus Stop, The Miracle Worker and Romeo & Juliet. He also spent a season with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, performing in The Cherry Orchard, State of the Union and A Christmas Carol.

Aaron Shand’s performance is supported in part by generous gifts
from Karen DeLay & Bill Sandel and Todd Hansen

Christopher Younggren (Fabian) is thrilled to return to The Rogue after previously being seen as Finbar Mack in The Weir and Reverend Parris in The Crucible. An MFA graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Christopher has been involved in theatre, radio, commercials, and film for almost 40 years, from Los Angeles to New York City. Locally he has appeared in The Scoundel & Scamp’s Salome, Live Theatre Workshop’s Voice of the Prairie (2017 Best Actor Mac Award), Move Over Mrs. Markham (2015 Best Actor Mac Award Nominee), and Time Stands Still, Tucson Labyrinth Project’s Dogs of Rwanda (2018 Best Actor Mac Award Nominee, Best Drama Mac Award), Invisible Theatre’s Indoor/Outdoor, Arizona Rose’s The Odd Couple and The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, and Arts Express’ A Christmas Carol and Carousel, as well as several villainous roles at The Gaslight Theatre. Up next, he can be seen as Drosselmeyer in A Southwest Nutcracker at The Tucson Music Hall. Christopher is also a middle school English teacher at The Academy of Tucson and a YouTube creator where he shares theatre games and teaching techniques on his channel, Classroom Confidential. As always he is grateful to his wife and boys for their unwavering love and support.

Christopher Younggren’s performance is supported in part
by a generous gift from Clay Shirk

Piano: Russell Ronnebaum
Violin: Janine Piek
Clarinet: Daniel Becker
Vocalist: Danny Fapp (Curio)
Vocalist: Tyler Page (Feste)
Vocal Music Director: Jeff Vanderlee

Piano provided by Hachenberg Pianos of Tucson 

Preshow (instrumental)

10 Intradas from the "Lustgarten teutscher Gesäng" Mvts. 3–5, 7, 8 — Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612)
April Is In My Mistress’ Face — Thomas Morley (1557–1602)
Come Away, Death — Anonymous
What If I Never Speed — John Dowland (1563–1626), Vocalist: Danny Fapp
Come Again — John Dowland, Vocalist: Tyler Page
I Am Gone, Sir — Anonymous

Production music

April Is In My Mistress’ Face — Thomas Morley
Danserye: 18. Ronde V 'Wo bistu' — Tielman Susato (c. 1510/15–after 1570)
Intrada No. 3 — Hans Leo Hassler
Danserye: 19. Ronde IX — Tielman Susato
Danserye: Saltarelle — Tielman Susato
Hold Thy Peace — Russell Ronnebaum
O Mistress Mine — Thomas Morley
Come Away, Death — Anonymous
I Am Gone, Sir — Anonymous
Epilogue — Anonymous

Music Director’s Notes

While in the sways of unrequited love Duke Orsino asks for music, the food of love, to play on. Throughout this play music shapes the atmosphere of Illyria, and for this production we are paying homage to the music of Shakespeare’s day. You will hear songs and madrigals of unrequited love, as well as instrumental music showcasing the distinct harmonies of the 16th century.

One interesting musical device that was developing in the Renaissance period is polyphony, which is the practice of simultaneously combining a number of melodies which harmonize with each other. The piece we selected to start the show, “April Is In Mistress’ Face” has very brief poetic text to it, but the individual vocal lines deliver each text strain in a staggered fashion, often repeating the line until all voices converge at the end of the stanza.

April is in my mistress’ face,
 and July in her eyes hath place.
Within her bosom is September,
 but in her heart is a cold December.
                                                               Thomas Morley

The texts sung by Shakespeare’s clown, Feste, also bring variety to the musical styles in Twelfth Night. The script features rambunctious musical moments driving the comedy such as “I Am Gone, Sir” and “Hold Thy Peace.” Yet Feste also has a solemn side that serenades the audience with the weighty, more melancholy songs of “O Mistress Mine”, “Come Away, Death” and the “Epilogue.”

—Russell Ronnebaum, Music Director, Arranger, and Pianist

Russell Ronnebaum (Music Director, Composer, Arranger, Pianist) serves as The Rogue Theatre’s Director of Music and Resident Composer. He holds a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano from the University of Arizona where he studied under Dr. Paula Fan. He currently serves as the assistant director of music at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Oro Valley, as well as the staff accompanist for the Tucson Masterworks Chorale. As a classically trained pianist, Russell has performed with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Artifact Dance Company, Arizona Repertory Theatre, and as a concerto soloist with the Tucson Masterworks Chorale. Russell made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016 performing the music of composer Dan Forrest. Past credits include The Rogue’s recent productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Blithe Spirit, Moby Dick, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Awakening, A View from the Bridge, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Oresteia, The Weir and As You Like It (Music Director, Pianist, and Composer) and The Secret in the Wings (Vocal Director). Russell also composes the music for Rogue Radio, a radio play series produced in partnership with Arizona Public Media, NPR 89.1 FM. Recent composition commissions and premieres include music for bassoon quartet, live theatre, strings, brass, voice, choir, and piano. Recordings, videos, sheet music, and upcoming concert dates can be found at www.RRonnebaum.com.

Russell Ronnebaum’s music direction is supported in part
by generous gifts from Art & Katherine Jacobson and Bob & Judy Bolt

Daniel Becker (Clarinet) is the owner/operator of the Becker Woodwind Studio. Dr. Becker has served as principal clarinet of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, and as second clarinet of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed extensively with the Tucson Symphony, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and Tucson Pops Orchestras. As an educator, Dr. Becker has taught at Valley City State University, the University of Jamestown, and the University of Arizona. He has performed and given clinics and master classes throughout the United States and abroad in Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, and Canada. Also a music theorist and public speaker, Dr. Becker has presented his research and given talks multiple times at the University of Arizona, abroad at the 2nd Annual Conference for the Study of Progressive Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the International Clarinet Association Research Competition, and at the SOURCE conference at Central Washington University. Dr. Becker holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Arizona and Bachelor’s degrees from Central Washington University.

Janine Patawaran Piek (Violin) is a graduate of the Las Vegas Academy for Performing Arts and holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Arizona. She has performed and recorded with artists such as the Moody Blues, Louis Bellson, Skip Martin, Katherine Byrnes, and Rick Braun. Janine currently plays for Tucson Repertory Orchestra and Sierra Vista Symphony and is a violin instructor at the Tucson Academy of Music & Dance.

Jeff Vanderlee (Vocal Music Director) A native of Austin, TX, Jeff Vanderlee received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and subsequently taught choir and orchestra at the middle and high school levels in the Austin and Eanes Independent School Districts.  Then, he relocated to Princeton, NJ and received a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College at Rider University. Jeff completed his academic training at the University of Arizona where he received a doctorate in choral conducting—his document research was centered on the motets of Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703). Jeff is a passionate music educator who has worked in K–12 public schools, as well as in higher education. In addition to serving St. Mark’s as the Director of Music, Jeff is also an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Choral Department at the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. He previously held employment during Spring 2021 at Youngstown State University, in Youngstown, Ohio. He is also an accomplished singer and pianist. Throughout his academic and professional career, Jeff has worked as an accompanist for choral ensembles, chamber music, and private voice students. As a member of the Westminster Choir College Symphonic Choir, Jeff has sung with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. 

Designers and Production Staff

Josh Hemmo (Lighting Design) is a NYC based lighting designer who is thrilled to be back at The Rogue! His previous work was seen on Middletown and Much Ado About Nothing. Other notable credits include: Revelation: The Musical (Off-Broadway, The Players Theatre), Humanity’s Child (Off-Broadway), Cleopatra: A Pop Experience (Off-Off Broadway, Theater for the New City), Route 66, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Sierra Repertory Theatre), The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, A New Brain (Florida State University), Talent is Sexy, Ladies of Glen Ross (Randomly Specific Theatre, NYC), Harvey (Out of The Box Theatre), Show Risqué (Hard Rock Casio and Hotel Biloxi), Moscow Ballet’s The Great Russian Nutcracker tour (lighting director of West Coast 2017 tour), and 2016–2017 lighting fellow at Berkeley Repertory Theater. jhemmolighting.com

Hannah Al-Baiaty (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with The Rogue Theatre for the first time. Hannah earned her BFA in Technical Theatre Production and Design from the University of Arizona. Her previous credits include Stage Manager for Under Construction Series: Ralph Lemon & Friends at Park Avenue Armory, Helen Simoneau Danse’s Flight Distance at Joyce SoHo, Arizona Repertory Theatre’s productions of Avenue Q and Voice of the Prairie, Assistant Stage Manager for Eugene Opera's production of Nixon in China and Assistant Production Manager for Pipeline Theatre Company’s world premiere of Byuioo.  She also spent five seasons working as a Costume Technician for The Gaslight Theatre.  Hannah would like to thank the entire cast and production team of Twelfth Night for an amazing creative experience, with a special thank you to Shannon Wallace for bringing her into the Rogue community. She would also like to thank her husband, family and friends for their endless support and love.

Hannah Al-Baiaty’s stage management
is supported in part by a generous gift from Carol Mangold

Shannon Wallace (Production Stage Manager) first came to The Rogue in 2015 to stage manage The Picture of Dorian Gray, and now serves as Production Stage Manager and Assistant Managing Director. Her stage management credits at The Rogue include: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Angels in America, Uncle Vanya, Penelope, Macbeth, A House of Pomegranates, Celia, A Slave, Bach at Leipzig, The Grapes of Wrath, Three Tall Women, King Lear, Galileo, Curious Incident, Much Ado About Nothing, Secret in the Wings, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Oresteia, The Weir, As You Like It and The Awakening. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, focusing on both stage management and lighting design. During her time in school she worked on over 25 productions with Arizona Repertory Theatre. She has also worked for Arizona Theatre Company, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. She spent a year living in Chicago and worked as the Operations Assistant for Mudlark Theater Company. She is grateful to be working full-time as a theater artist in her hometown and would like to thank her parents & her bunnies for their unconditional love.

Amy Novelli (Scenic Artist) is originally from Ohio and Pennsylvania. She received her Cum Laude BFA from the Columbus (Ohio) College of Art & Design in 1987 and her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1994. Novelli’s scenic art career began in New York City at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Studio. Charge Scenic Artist for the Arizona Theatre Company 2010–2014, Amy also painted several sets for Arizona Opera and UA Opera, and presently paints for The Rogue Theatre and until COVID at the Arizona Broadway Theatre in Peoria (Phoenix). Amy created monstrous Halloween decor for Hotel Congress for 20 years, and was lead painter for Marshal-Fields 1998 award winning Easter Window display “Alice in Wonderland”. She supervised four public art projects in the Tucson area with high school youth and won commissions to design and paint five large scale outdoor murals across the country as well as at the Biosphere II and La Posada Hotel on Oracle Blvd. She has taught at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. Novelli’s fine art work has been exhibited at several Tucson Galleries and in May-August 2020 she had a one woman show at the Tucson International Airport. Amy Novelli has been living in Tucson since 1996. When not painting, Novelli trains rescue horses and dogs and enjoys riding wilderness trails all over the western states.

Peter Bleasby (Master Electrician) lit his first show at 13. Professionally, he was with BBC Television for several years, and was an assistant to the UK lighting designer Richard Pilbrow during the inaugural production of the National Theatre (Hamlet, directed by Olivier.) Although his career was in architectural lighting, he maintained some theatre lighting involvement on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2009, he volunteered for the Rogue’s initial season at the Historic Y. He has been master electrician at the Rogue for every show from 2013 to the present, supporting our lighting designers Deanna Fitzgerald, Don Fox, and Josh Hemmo. He devised the system that enables lights to be quickly re-arranged, allowing more time for the creative process. Elsewhere in Tucson, he directed the technical and logistical aspects of fundraisers for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, including the fashion show Moda Provocateur.

Susan Collinet (House Manager) earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Arizona in 2008. Decades before returning to college as a non-traditional student, Susan spent twenty years in amateur theater, mostly on the East coast, as well as in Brussels, Belgium in the American Theater of Brussels, and the Theatre de Chenois in Waterloo. She has worked in such positions as a volunteer bi-lingual guide in the Children’s Museum of Brussels, the Bursar of a Naturopathic Medical school in Tempe, Arizona, an entrepreneur with two “Susan’s of Scottsdale” hotel gift shops in Scottsdale, Arizona, and as the volunteer assistant Director of Development of the Arizona Aids Project in Phoenix. Susan continues to work on collections of poetry and non-fiction. Her writing has won awards from Sandscript Magazine, the John Hearst Poetry Contest, the Salem College for Women’s Center for Writing, and was published in a Norton Anthology ofStudent’s Writing. In addition to being House Manager, Susan serves on the Board of Directors and acts as Volunteer Coordinator for the Rogue.

Thomas Wentzel (Box Office Manager, Program, Website) is a Scientific Programmer for the National Solar Observatory and holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Arizona. Previously he has worked as a Data Manager for several prevention programs in the Arizona Cancer Center and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health. He has served on the Board of the Tucson Men’s Cooperative, editing its newsletter for five years, and on the Executive Committee of Sons of Orpheus—The Male Choir of Tucson. He has sung with Furry Day Singers, Sons of Orpheus, AwenRising and Arizona Repertory Singers, and has performed with Tucson Art Theatre in Viktor Slavkin’s Cerceau and Clifford Odets’ Waiting for Lefty. Thomas has designed and built The Rogue Theatre Web site (with great assistance from Bill Sandel and Bryan Falcón in creating the 2020 Website update), creates all The Rogue’s posters and programs and has served as Webmaster, Business Manager and Treasurer.

Our Thanks

Performance Schedule

Performance run time of Twelfth Night is two hours and twenty-five minutes, including one ten-minute intermission.

The video viewing option will be available from Tuesday, November 23
until the end of Sunday, December 12, 2021.