Pittsburgh Public Theater Will Present Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ in an ‘Exquisite Culmination of Collaborations’
Pittsburgh Public Theater has announced casting for the company’s premiere of Public Works’ Twelfth Night, an adaptation with music and a collaboration that includes more than 60 “citizen artists,” representing nine community organizations.
The Public Works initiative, founded by The Public Theater in New York City, focuses on “transformational partnerships that blur the lines between artists and audiences.”
Pittsburgh Public Theater has partnered with nine community organizations through classes, field trips, potlucks and other collaborative gatherings, which will culminate in the production June 26-29, 2025, at the O’Reilly Theater.
Public Works’ Twelfth Night. (Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Public Theater)
Tickets are free and almost gone. Additional seats are set to be released June 2, with performances added to the run.
“Creating Public Works Pittsburgh with these nine extraordinary community partners is an exquisite culmination of the collaborations, values, and possibilities we have been building at Pittsburgh Public Theater since I arrived here seven years ago,” said artistic director Marya Sea Kaminski, who previously shepherded a 2017 Public Works production of The Odyssey for Seattle Rep.
This will be Kaminski’s final directorial work as AD; she has announced she is stepping down when it is over, but hopes to come back as a freelance director.
“Audiences will experience theater like they never have before — with artists, neighbors, and families of all ages coming together to tell a story about love, courage, and what it is to truly see each other. This production will be us — the Public, and Pittsburgh — at our best,” Kaminski said in a statement.
The musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub, with music and lyrics by Taub (Suffs).
In brief, story gender-bending comedy takes off when noblewoman Viola (played by Chelsea Zeno) finds herself shipwrecked, then decides to disguise herself as a male page to blend in.
“Her decision triggers literature’s most hilarious love triangle and inspires the people of Illyria to see life through the eyes of another.”
Pittsburgh Public’s cast includes Victor M. Aponte as Antonio, Ethan Davis Butler as Sebastian, Michael Campayno as Duke Orsino, Caro Dubberly as Feste, Garbie Dukes as Sir Toby Belch, John Ploskina as Fabian, Connor McCanlus as Malvolio, Brenden Peifer as Sir Andrew, Housso Sémon as Countess Olivia and Georgia Taylor.
The company’s Public Works partners include: Vintage Senior Center, Sarah Heinz House, Mount Ararat Community, Activity Center, Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh, Bhutanese Community Association of
Pittsburgh, Dynamic Defenders ATA Martial Arts, Big Storm Performance Company, Iron City Circus, and the Hill Dance Academy Theatre.
“I am honored to take part in such an incredible program. Our community partners have been the heart and soul of my work. To see them bringing their joy and talent to the O’Reilly brings undeniable light and excitement to the art we are blessed to create,” said Senior Manager of Public Works and Partnerships, Dominique Briggs.
It takes a village to put together such an ambitious production. The creative team for Twelfth Night includes music director Tiffany Underwood Holmes and choreographer Gustavo Zajac, with associated director Kyle Haden and Briggs as assistant director, plus Benjamin Brosche as associate music director and assistant choreographers Alex Manalo and Mallory Marinack.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
The Pittsburgh Public Theater production of Public Works’ Twelfth Night is at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, June 26-29, 2025. Additional seats are set to be released June 2, with added performances to the sold-out run. Public Works has been made possible with the support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. Visit https://ppt.org/production/94489/public-works-twelfth-night for more about the cast and creative team, and ticket information.
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