By Cassandra Flanagan, 15 April 2011
The University of Western Australia’s Graduate Dramatic Society (GRADS) has surprised its audiences with a novel twist on Shakespeare's classic, 'Twelfth Night'.
“GRADS set out to challenge their audiences to experience Shakespeare in an unconventional manner,” said Cassandra Vagliviello, a member of the cast.
"We didn't want to present a traditional telling of Twelfth Night, but rather one where the audience had an insight into the characters from a different perspective other than merely watching a person onstage,” said Miss Vagliviello.
“The idea came from within the creative team, which was led by our director, Peter Clark,” she said.
“Peter really wanted to prove to the audiences that not every Shakespearean drama can be told the same way, and that perhaps a bit of creativity and interpretation is needed to find the true hidden meaning in Shakespeare’s works.
“As an actor, I had to incorporate Peter’s vision into my performance, portraying the main character of Olivia as Betty Boop.
“This proved to be a lot harder than I had originally imagined, as I had to interpret the script and Olivia’s emotions and motivations whilst also incorporating a 1930’s ‘seductress’ character into my performance,” she said.
“Personally, I thought this was a unique idea, and although it was challenging at first, the rehearsal process allowed me to delve into my character and find what I wanted to bring to the stage through my interpretation of Olivia,” said Miss Vagliviello.
Notre Dame Theatre Studies graduate Therese Cruise viewed Twelfth Night, and found herself captured by Peter Clark’s interpretation of this classic comedy.
“I thought it was a really fantastic idea to costume all the characters as recognisable children's characters,” said Miss Cruise.
“It brought a whole new meaning to a play I've seen and read quite a few times, one which I hadn’t previously considered and was a surprise when I went to see the play.
“As the characters where recognizable, it gave me as an audience member new insights into the traits and personalities of the characters.
“I thought the direction was brilliant, and I really enjoyed the show the whole way through,” said Miss Cruise.
“Olivia as ‘Betty Boop’ was particularly funny, being quite a ditzy character that everyone but Viola loves.”
“One of my favourite moments was Viola and Sebastian discovering each other and the ‘big reveal’, which was very interesting as the two siblings were dressed as clowns,” said Miss Cruise.
“Although Peter Clark’s interpretation was a test for me as an actor, I really enjoyed pushing myself to meet the challenge, and I would definitely work with Peter again,” said Miss Vagliviello.
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