BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Department of Theatre presents “Twelfth Night,” a comedy by William Shakespeare, for five performances beginning Friday, April 11, and closing with a matinee performance on Sunday, April 20.

Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” explores the joy, pain and folly of love. It is a poignant comedy that stages the many faces of love: passionate love, courtly love, blind love, brotherly love, love unrequited, love misdirected, love found, love lost. Bemidji State’s production uses not only Shakespeare’s text, but also the music of the jazz age to illuminate these different dimensions of the human experience.

BSU’s production of “Twelfth Night” will be directed by Patrick Carriere, assistant professor of theater and communication arts, with music direction by Jennifer Swanson, assistant professor of vocal music.

• Viola, played by Sarah Bull, senior in theater from Jamestown, Calif., is the play’s heroine. Her decision to disguise herself as a man and the case of mistaken identity that ensues is central to the story, as she becomes increasingly surrounded by people with different ideas of who she really is while remaining unaware of her true identity.

• Orsino, played by Andy Browers, graduate student in English from Cloquet, Minn., pines away for the love of Olivia, played by K.D. Howells, sophomore in creative and professional writing from Coon Rapids, Minn., while Oliva mourns the loss of her dead brother. Neither shows interest in relating to the outside world, preferring the seclusion of their homes, until Viola’s arrival helps to break them out of their shells.

• Malvolio, played by Jon Mansk, senior in music and liberal arts from Center City, Minn., is a spoil-sport whose self-centered delusions of grandeur eventually lead to an uncomfortable come-uppance.

“Twelfth Night” opens Friday, April 11 with a 7:29 p.m. opening curtain, and will be performed Saturday, April 12, and Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, also with 7:29 p.m. opening curtains. The production will close Sunday, April 20 with a 3 p.m. matinee performance.

Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. BSU students are admitted free with a valid student ID. “Twelfth Night” is intended for audiences 13 years of age and older.

Tickets are available in the Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex box office, located in Bangsberg 127 on the BSU campus, beginning April 3. The box office is open from 1-5 p.m. weekdays; call (218) 755-3863 for more information.

For more information, please contact Patrick Carriere at the Bemidji State University Department of Theatre at (218) 755-3901.