By Amelia Faircloth
Irwin Appel, professor of theater, Chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at UCSB, and Artistic Director of the NAKED SHAKES company.
For Irwin Appel, UC Santa Barbara theater professor and artistic director of the NAKED SHAKES company, there was no better play to highlight the return of in-person instruction than Shakespeare's famous comedy, Twelfth Night. Approximately 450 people attended four outdoor performances last weekend that marked the return of in-person theater this fall after 18 long months of remote productions.
The play revolves around a case of mistaken identity and delves into themes of unrequited love and disguise. But Appel says one of the play's themes stands above the rest.
"We did Twelfth Night this year because this is a play about reunion. It's about coming back together. And all of those things are bigger than any other concept right now," he said.
Reunion was a theme felt keenly by the audience thanks to the reemergence of in-person events. "I think it's really exciting that after a year of doing online shows that they are finally able to start doing shows in person again," said Katie Schulte, a fourth year student at UCSB. For third and fourth year students who had spent time on campus pre-pandemic, the return of in-person shows was a welcome sight.
From left to right, actors Rae Farnum, Caroline Ware, Angel Villalobos, Lana Spring, and Andalyn Honselaar performing in Twelfth Night front of the UC Santa Barbara lagoon.
For other students, Twelfth Night was the first time they have been able to go to an in-person show on campus at all. "Even though I'm a second-year [student], I feel like a freshman," said Kiana Perez, another UCSB student who attended. "I think it's really exciting to see everyone be super enthusiastic to open things back up and be 'normal' even though things still aren't normal.”
While moving towards "normality," the cast and production team needed to make certain adjustments to remain COVID-free. For safety, the production took place outside on the Commencement Green — for the first time in NAKED SHAKES history — where actors made use of a small portable stage and their surroundings. Throughout the performance, actors sat among the audience, hid behind trees, traversed the trail, and even took advantage of the lagoon by sailing in on an inflatable boat at the beginning of the play—something Appel has wanted to do since his first year directing at UCSB.
The actors naturally seemed to fit the new environment, but adapting their work from the stage to the lagoon wasn't just a walk in the park. "The process was extremely challenging," Appel said in a phone interview. "We were creating a theater where there never was a theater before. And we were also creating a theater on a location that had nothing to contain the sound and nothing to contain the space."
The cast and production team used handheld microphones and speakers placed at both ends of the stage, allowing for movement while still ensuring the audience could hear the sound from across the Green.
Even with its challenges, the outdoor setting proved a success for the production. "Doing it outside, we knew we could be safer," Appel said. "I'm really thrilled to have gone through this with no positive COVID cases, so that means that we have been safe, and we've been taking care. The entire cast has been vaccinated, and we all get tested weekly because we really want this to work out. Nobody wants to go back on Zoom."
From left to right, Andalyn Honselaar, Rae Farnum, and Caroline Ware as Lady Olivia’s fools, in the UC Santa Barbara NAKED SHAKES production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Audience members reacted positively to the setting as well. "I think it's really interesting that they brought things outside," said Schulte. "It's a really cool idea, and the way they've worked around things with the handheld mics and everything has been really effective."
Appel said if there is a silver lining to the past 18 months of remote instruction, it has been the ability to experiment with outdoor theater. "It has prompted us to do more outdoor performances in the department of theater and dance. Twelfth Night is the first, and we hope that we're going to do many more after this."
Irwin Appel will be joined by UCSB English professor James Kearney to talk more about the NAKED SHAKES and the production of Twelfth Night on October 12 at 4 p.m. on Zoom. Click here for more information.
Amelia Faircloth is a fourth year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in English. She is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.