56 pgs. 3 female, 15 male
Run Time: Under One Hour
Doubling is possible
Originally produced in SCT's Summer Season
Audience Recommendation: 9+
Twelfth Night is a comedy involving love and deception. Orsino, a nobleman, pines for the love of Lady Olivia, who will not marry as she is mourning for her dead brother. Meanwhile, there has been a terrible shipwreck, where Viola has been swept ashore. Certain that her twin brother, Sebastian, has drowned, Viola disguises herself as a man and begins to look for work. She is hired by Orsino, and soon becomes his favorite page. Viola falls in love with Orsino, which is problematic since he believes her to be a man. When Viola (as her male alter ego Cesario) delivers a love message to Olivia from Orsino, Olivia instantly falls in love with Cesario. As others trying to court Olivia discover Olivia’s attraction to Cesario, they challenge ‘him’ to a duel. It is then that Viola’s twin brother Sebastian appears on the scene. Sebastian gets into a scuffle, Olivia enters and, thinking Sebastian is Cesario, asks him to marry her. Viola (as Cesario) and Orsino come to Olivia’s house and after some confusion, Sebastian appears and all is revealed. The brother and sister are joyfully reunited, and Orsino asks Viola to marry him.
This script was originally developed for Seattle Children’s Theatre Summer Season, an acclaimed program in which student actors and theatre professionals come together to produce polished plays. The Summer Season scripts, inspired by classic works, were specifically written for students in grades 4 through 12 to develop acting and other theatrical skills.
