Download the Twelfth Night Press Kit here.

twelfth night
Written by William Shakespeare
Created by Filter Theatre Company
Directed by Sean Holmes
MARKETING PACK
More information will follow as it becomes available
[August 2010]
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PACK CONTENTS
Tour Schedule
Creative List
Brochure Copy
About Filter
Press Release
Press Quotes
Box Office Information
Marketing Notes
Press Notes
MARKETING & PRESS
For further information on press and marketing please contact
Martin Shippen 020 8968 1943 / 07956 879165
or [email protected]
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Tour Dates 2010
14 – 18 September
Corn Exchange, Newbury
Box office: 01635 522633
www.cornexchangenew.com
20 - 25 September
The Tobacco Factory, Bristol
Box Office: 0117 9020344
www.tobaccofactory.com
27 September – 2 October
Hall for Cornwall, Truro
Box office: 01872 262466
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk
5 - 9 October
Northcott Theatre,. Exeter
Box office: 01392 493493
www.exeternorthcott.co.uk
11 – 16 October
Curve, Leicester
Box office 0116 242 3595
www.curveonline.co.uk
19 – 23 October
Dukes Theatre, Lancaster
Box office 01524 598500
www.dukes-lancaster.org
1 – 6 November
Lowry, Salford
Box office 0843 208 6000
www.thelowry.com
11- 13 November
Brewhouse, Taunton
Box office 01823 283244
www.thebrewhouse.net
15 – 20 November
Rose Theatre. Kingston
Box office 0871 230 1552
www.rosetheatrekingston.org
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CAST
Orsino/Aguecheek
Toby Belch
Olivia
Viola/Sebastian
Malvolio
Maria / Feste
Musician
Musician
Musician
Musician
Nicolas Tennant
Oliver Dimsdale
Victoria Moseley
Poppy Miller
Ferdy Roberts
Gemma Saunders
Tom Haines
Ross Hughes
Alan Pagan
Russell March
CREATIVE TEAM
Director
Music and
Sound Design
Sean Holmes
Tom Haines and Ross Hughes
Twelfth Night is a Filter Theatre production in association with the Royal
Shakespeare Company
First performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford in 2006
as part of the RSC Complete Works Season.
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Brochure Copy
By William Shakespeare
Created by Filter
Directed by Sean Holmes
Two worlds collide in Filter’s explosive new take on Shakespeare’s lyrical
Twelfth Night.
Olivia’s melancholic, puritanical household clashes head on with Sir Toby’s
insatiable appetite for drunken debauchery. Orsino’s relentless pursuit of Olivia
and Malvolio’s extraordinary transformation typify the madness of love in Illyria:
land of make-believe and illusion.
This story of romance, satire and mistaken identity is crafted into one of the most
exciting and accessible Shakespeare productions of recent years. Experience
the madness of love in this heady world where riotous gig meets Shakespeare.
About Filter
Founded in 2001 by actors Oliver Dimsdale, Ferdy Roberts and musician Tim
Phillips, Filter is a new breed of theatre collective bringing together actors,
musicians, technicians, designers, writers and directors to create new works of
original theatre as well as thrilling incarnations of existing texts, resulting in a
platform for some of the most exciting theatre work around. Filter has had an
extraordinary rise since their first production, Faster at BAC where it was a
runaway hit and received rave reviews.
Faster went on to be performed at the Lyric Hammersmith Studio, on national
tour with This Way Up and to great acclaim in Frankfurt and New York. Since this
first project they have worked on Body Stories and Woyczek at the National
Theatre Studio and the Lyric Hammersmith, a production of Caucasian Chalk
Circle directed by Sean Holmes for the National Theatre, and created their
version of Twelfth Night for the RSC’s Complete Works Festival and the British
Council Showcase 2007. Their devised work Water was co-produced with Lyric
Hammersmith and received critical acclaim during its UK tour. Filter’s latest
production The Three Sisters, directed by Sean Holmes, appeared at the Lyric
Hammersmith earlier this year prior to a national tour.
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Following a critically acclaimed London run and an extensive UK and
international tour, Filter again tour nationally with TWELFTH NIGHT this autumn.
Originally commissioned by RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd as part of the
RSC's Complete Works Festival, Filter’s characteristically radical and riotous
interpretation of this well worn classic reaffirms their reputation as one of the
most consistently inventive and critically acclaimed theatre companies working
today. Here nothing is hidden, and no two shows are the same: decisions on the
direction of the performance are taken on the hoof as the narrative unfolds, and
each unique performance develops in a different way each night.
In this informal production the stage is covered in cables, technical equipment,
synthesisers, microphones, amplifiers and supporting instruments that enable
Filter to create the world of the play through sound. Performed under house
lights with actors in casual costumes, the experience is more akin to a rock
concert than classic theatre, creating an exhilarating live chemistry between
actor, audience and text.
TWELFTH NIGHT is directed by Sean Holmes, Artistic Director of the Lyric
Hammersmith, London where Three Sisters, his most recent collaboration with
the company opened to critical acclaim prior to a national tour.
Founded in 2001, Filter are actors Oliver Dimsdale, Ferdy Roberts and musician
Tim Phillips, working with a trademark fusion of performance with integrated live
music and sound. Filter work with a collective of musicians, technicians,
designers, writers and directors in a strong group dynamic aiming to create a
devising language - an artistic short hand - that is truly creative.
"Filter's lo-fi, ninety minute remix of Shakespeare's comedy infects the audience
with the play's celebratory spirit of madness from the start...You leave feeling
slightly changed yourself."  Metro
"...the most exciting Shakespeare reworking for years... Don't miss." Sunday
Times
Running time: 90 minutes/ www.filtertheatre.com
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‘One of the best Twelfth Night’s I’ve ever seen.’
What’s On Stage
‘’The most hardhearted purists would melt at Filter’s 90-minute reworking of this
play, directed with passion, panache and precision by Sean Holmes. For
newcomers to Shakespeare, I can’t think of a better introduction.’
The Sunday Times
‘The production has a messy, joyful, off –the-cuff quality, and in Poppy Miller it
boasts one of the most affecting Violas I have ever seen.’
The Guardian
‘Rock-and Roll Shakespeare’s a blast….
Filter is a company blessed with wit, style and a touch of magic….
This irreverent and inventive Twelfth Night never outstays its welcome…. ’
The Daily Telegraph
‘The real virtue of this production, is that it puts the fun back into Twelfth Night
and allows us to become participants in a feast of misrule.’
The Guardian
‘Sean Holmes’s production is a jolly good knees-up for all.’
The Daily Mail
‘This modern staging makes the Bard’s timeless comedy of mis-matched
romantic desires burst with fresh irreverence…
The London Paper
‘Infects the audience with the play’s celebratory spirit of madness from the start…
You leave feeling slightly changed yourself.’
Metro
‘Shakespeare was never like this. Do not miss out.’
British Theatre Guide
**** Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian,
Financial Times, The London Paper, Metro,
The Sunday Times
***** The Independent, WhatsonStage
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Acclaim for Filter’s Previous Work
On Faster
‘The most astonishingly confident debut show I have seen in a long time, all the
thrill of a rapid ride at the funfair, as well as the ache you feel in your heart when
you know that something is missing in your life.’
The Guardian
‘Filter’s sheer boldness of invention, its ground-breaking use of sound, makes it a
company to watch.
Simultaneously ingenious and charming, this is a timely piece for a generation
with no time to lose.’
Evening Standard
‘Masters of a Ramped-Up Culture, … the company’s exhilarating gifts of
invention give the mania an electric, irresistible edge.’
New York Times
On Caucasian Chalk Circle
‘The cumulative sensory assault often feels more like being at a rock concert
than at the theatre.’
The Independent
‘This joint collaboration between director Sean Holmes and the theatre collective
Filter puts a playful spin on the dry concepts of alienation and the epic.’
The Guardian
On Water
‘Work that dazzles the eye, enchants the ear, and stimulated both the heart and
mind… what a pleasure to discover ideas, technical ingenuity and a strong
undertow of emotion so elegantly united.’
The Daily Telegraph
‘Three fascinating strands intertwine in a gripping fusion of high-tech wizardry
and lo-fi, hands-on set manipulation… a vaguely ominous spectre of climate
change is subtly and skilfully evoked throughout, lending a satisfying weight to
what is already a triumph of both style and substance.’
Metro
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Written by William Shakespeare, Created by Filter
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
Filter’s Twelfth Night is a radically cut fast paced version of Shakespeare’s most loved
comedy. The world of the play is conjured up through sound.
Nothing is hidden. Everything is revealed. In this informal production, the stage is awash
with cables, costume changes occur in front of the audience and performance decisions
are made on the hoof.
With the feel of joining a sophisticated jamming session, Twelfth Night is constantly
shifting, never the same twice.
Filter approach this show with their trademark fusion of sound, music and narrative drive,
creating live chemistry between actors, audience, text and sound that explodes into a vital
and exhilarating theatrical experience.
THE PLAY
Like many of Shakespeare's comedies, Twelfth Night centres on mistaken identity. The
leading character, Viola, is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria during the opening
scenes. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes is dead.
Masquerading as a young page under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke
Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Orsino is in love with the
bereaved Lady Olivia, whose father and brother have recently died, and who will have
nothing to do with any suitors, the Duke included. Orsino decides to use "Cesario" as an
intermediary to tell Olivia about his love for her. Olivia, believing Viola to be a man, falls in
love with this handsome and eloquent messenger. Viola, in turn, has fallen in love with
the Duke, who also believes Viola is a man, and who regards her as his confidant.
Much of the play is taken up with the comic subplot, in which several characters conspire
to make Olivia's pompous head steward, Malvolio, believe that his lady Olivia wishes to
marry him. It involves Olivia's uncle, Sir Toby Belch; another would-be suitor, a silly squire
named Sir Andrew Aguecheek; her servants Maria and Fabian; and her father's favorite
fool, Feste. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew get drunk and disturb the peace of their lady's house
by continuously singing catches late into the night at the top of their voices, prompting
Malvolio to chastise them. This is the basis for Sir Toby's, Sir Andrew, and Maria's
revenge on Malvolio.
The riotous company convince Malvolio that Olivia is secretly in love with him through a
love letter written by Maria in Olivia's hand asking Malvolio to wear yellow stockings
cross-gartered, to be rude to the rest of the servants, and to smile constantly in the
presence of Olivia. Olivia, saddened by Viola's attitude towards her, asks for her chief
steward, and is shocked by a Malvolio who has seemingly lost his mind. She leaves him
to the contrivances of his tormentors.
Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they lock him up in a dark cellar (a common
"treatment" for the mentally ill), with a slit for light. Feste visits him to mock his "insanity",
once disguised as a priest, and again as himself. At the end of the play Malvolio learns of
their conspiracy and storms off promising revenge, but the Duke sends Fabian to pacify
him.
Meanwhile Sebastian, Viola's brother, believed deceased, arrives on the scene, sowing
confusion. Mistaking him for Viola, Olivia asks him to marry her, and they are secretly
united. Finally, when the twins appear in the presence of both Olivia and the Duke, there
is more wonder and awe at their similarity, at which point Viola reveals she is really a
female and that Sebastian is her lost twin brother. The play ends in a declaration of
marriage between the Duke and Viola, and it is learned that Toby has married Maria. An
elegiac song from Feste ("heigh-ho, the wind and the rain") brings the entertainment to a
close.
KEY CAST MEMBERS
Oliver Dimsdale, Victoria Moseley, Poppy Miller, Ferdy Roberts, Gemma Saunders,
Nicolas Tennant
KEY CREATIVE TEAM
Sean Holmes is the Artistic Director of The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London
KEY SELLING FEATURES
 A critically acclaimed and inventive version of a classic play
 A celebrated director
 A poignant and funny play
 Sell-out success on UK and international tours
AUDIENCE SUITABILITY
 This production has wide appeal due Shakespeare’s popularity.
 Additional interest to professionals in educational establishments and sixth-form
students.
 Suggest an age suitability of 12+
RUNNING TIME
90 minutes, no interval
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PRESS QUOTES
‘’The most hardhearted purists would melt at Filter’s 90-minute reworking of this
play, directed with passion, panache and precision by Sean Holmes. For
newcomers to Shakespeare, I can’t think of a better introduction.’
The Sunday Times
‘Rock-and Roll Shakespeare’s a blast….
Filter is a company blessed with wit, style and a touch of magic….
This irreverent and inventive Twelfth Night never outstays its welcome…. ’
The Daily Telegraph
EDUCATION ACTIVITY
Bespoke schools workshops are available. Please contact Simon Reade for details.
TOUR SCHEDULE
14 – 18 September
20- 25 September
27 September – 2 October
5 - 9 October
11 – 16 October
19 – 23 October
1 – 6 November
11- 13 November
15 – 20 November
Corn Exchange, Newbury,
The Tobacco Factory, Bristol
Hall for Cornwall, Truro
Northcott Theatre,. Exeter
Curve, Leicester
Dukes Theatre, Lancaster
Lowry, Salford
Brewhouse, Taunton
Rose Theatre. Kingston
FURTHER INFORMATION
Marketing & Press: Martin Shippen [email protected] / 020 8968 1943 / 07956 879165
Producer: Simon Reade –
[email protected] / 07966 485933
The Filter website will be regularly updated – www.filtertheatre.com
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MARKETING NOTES
SELLING POINTS / FEATURES
 One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Amongst students and the
public at large.
 Reputation of Filter Theatre: producers of quality drama
 Sell-out success: on tour throughout the UK and internationally
 Critically acclaimed and world-renowned playwright, William
Shakespeare
 Reputation of Sean Holmes: Artistic Director of the Lyric, Hammersmith
 Great soundtrack: Live music forms the backbone of this fresh, inventive
production
TARGET MARKETS
 Classic and contemporary quality drama attenders: Arguably the world’s
leading playwright, Shakespeare’s plays have a huge attraction to the general
theatre-goer. Previous attenders of his work plus classic drama touring
productions would be good for direct mail.
 Groups: with Shakespeare’s wide appeal it would be an ideal production to
target ‘middle England’ groups such as National Trust, English Heritage,
Women’s Institute, Royal Holticultural Society, Historic Houses etc.
 Target Groups: Shakespeare attracts the classic theatre-goer, but Filter’s
production also appeals to a younger audience – it’s boisterous, full of music
and fun, whilst staying true to the original story.
 Students/Teachers:
 Friends of nearby arts organisations: Shakespeare’s recognition as a
“national treasure” provides us with an ideal opportunity to entice attendees of
other arts events, including galleries, heritage sites and museums.
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PRESS NOTES
PRESS INTERVIEWS
Members of the company will be available for press and radio interviews in
advance of the production’s visit. If you would like to arrange a local press
photo-call on our first day at your venue, please contact us to arrange.
We will keep you updated by email with any press stories as they arise.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Colour production shots are available. Mono headshots of the cast are available.