It’s twelfth night! It’s the last of the twelve days of Christmas and the last night of celebration,, and according to tradition it’s when decorations come down to be put away until next Christmas. I know there’s a dispute about whether it’s the fifth or the sixth of January, but we’re taking our decorations down tomorrow, and i’m going to reminisce here about my unsung rôle in Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Twelfth Night’.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (disguised as a page named ‘Cesario’) falls in love with the Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man.
(Wikipedia)
From being a child I was always keen to be in plays and performances, and in junior school I was in various of the little performances that were put on, such as nativity plays and end of term entertainment. My starring rôle was as the May Queen in the whole school celebration. When I went to secondary school we didn’t have drama as a subject, but I was always ready to stand up and take part in any little plays in the classroom. When we got to what was then the fourth year, now called Year 10, we had “activities” one afternoon a week, which included drama – so of course that was what I joined.
At the time there were some amazing actresses in school, really excellent and I’ve always been surprised that none went on to become well known in the real world of theatre. That term, ‘Twelfth Night’ was the chosen play and when auditions were held I was unaccountably nervous, not surprising really. What was surprising was that I actually got a part, the very minor rôle of Curio. I had three three lines, “Feste the jester, my lord“, “Will you go hunt, my lord?” – and in answer to my question Orsino replied “What, Curio?” and my final line “The hart.” I was nervous enough in rehearsals, on the nights of the show I’m surprised I didn’t faint with anxiety – however I didn’t, and that was the end of my dramatic career at that school.
So Twelfth Night, always brings back other than festive memories, and I can smile at them now. I did have one other stab at drama, I was in a ghastly production of some Greek tragedy – I can’t remember which one now, but I was a woman dressed in a sheet, maybe with a wreath, who had no speaking lines but had to look fierce and wave my arms about. All my drama now takes place in my imagination and my books!
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Lois Elsden 